Together Again
by lighthope
Summary: (Prologue, Chapter 1, & Chapter 3 revised... read AN on those chapters for details!) Two kids meet at summer camp and discover they're long lost siblings! Can they get their parents together again? Takari -Completed!-
1. Prologue

(another author's note – dated October 31, 2003: This chapter is revised, to change some of the mistakes that I made when I started this and to tie together some ends that will be explained way later on in the sequel. So enjoy. There will be revisions in a few other chapters too, including one deleted scene that will be included… *oh, the intrigue…*)

AN: Hello! This is my first Digimon fic, so be nice! =D It may not seem like a Takari at first, but don't worry, it'll get there soon enough. Everything will be explained as the story goes on. For now… just read, enjoy, and review! It is a Parent Trap-esque kind of story, but with lots of twists. So yeah. Go on and read! 

Together Again: Prologue

-New York City-

            "Mom? I'm leaving now…" Aaron Kamiya knocked softly on his mother's door, but when there was no response, he pushed open the door to see his mother listening to her headphones, obviously liking what she heard. She looked up at the sudden movement and took off the headphones. "You're leaving already?" she asked.

          "Yeah, Mom, it's already two-thirty."

          Hikari Kamiya looked at her watch and half-smiled. "Oh, you're right. I had no idea of the time." Then she looked back at her almost 18 year old son and said, "So you're all set to go, right?"

          Aaron nodded. Kari smiled and with somewhat of a heavy heart—Aaron's trip to Colorado would be the longest the two had ever been separated—stood up and gave her son a big hug. "Have fun, and don't forget to call me, okay?"

          "Okay. I promise, Mom. And good luck with Angela, I think she's going to be a great addition to the label."

          "Only because you think she's cute, huh?" Kari asked.

          "Mom!" Aaron protested. "Can I just go now?"

          Kari smiled at her son and nodded. "Be careful, okay? Call me as soon as you get to the airport."

          "I will. I love you, Mom."

          "I love you too, Aaron. Take care." She gave her son one last hug and watched him walk to the elevator. He turned and gave his mom a wave and a smile before he stepped in, and Kari was forced to turn back to their small apartment. She sat down on the couch and sighed. She hated the thought of letting Aaron go by himself, but she didn't really have a choice—while he was growing up, she'd had to work long hours to support the two of them, and although Kari had gotten a high-profile job as a talent scout for the biggest record label in the country, it still took her away from her son. She wished she could be there for him more often… they were the only person each other had. Sighing again, Kari pulled a small briefcase out from underneath the couch and opened it, taking out a picture frame. "Aaron… you look more like him every day."

-Santa Monica, CA-

          "Hope? Are you all set?"

          "Almost, Daddy," fifteen year old Hope Takaishi called from her room. Desperately trying to zip up her suitcase, the zipper would not budge until she sat on her suitcase and pulled it. Grinning triumphantly, she then attempted to move it… which was a whole other story.

          "Need any help there, Hope?" her father asked, sticking his head in the door.

          She smiled sheepishly. "I think so."

          Takeru, also known as T.K., Takashi walked into his daughter's room and lifted the suitcase off the floor, feigning difficulty. "My goodness, what did you pack in here? Did you bring your whole closet?"

          "No!" Hope protested. "There's still five outfits in there, see?"

          T.K. just shook his head and took the suitcase out to their car.

          Hope's long blonde hair flew out behind her as the two of them cruised up Highway 1, with Hope singing at not quite the top of her lungs. T.K. interrupted her mini-performance by saying, "So while you're up there, I don't want you coming back with a boyfriend."

          Hope rolled her eyes. "Dad, it's not like there's cute guys up there anyway."

          T.K. laughed. "You never know who you'll run into."

          -Denver, Colorado-

          "Welcome, everyone, to this two-week session of the academy. While you're here, you'll learn how to hone your art, as well as meet new people and have a bit of fun, if we have any say in the matter. Now, for an icebreaker, I'm going to split you up into two groups and we'll tell you what your activity is from there. Thirteen to fifteen year olds, go to that side of the room…" with this statement, the 'counselor' directed them to the right side of the spacious room, "and sixteen to eighteen year olds, go to the other side."

          Hope stood up, and with the new friend she'd made, Danielle, wandered over to the left side of the room. While the rest of the people in that category congregated there, she bumped into a guy and quickly apologized. "Sorry."

          "It's okay," he assured her. "We're all bumping into each other anyway." To prove his point, suddenly a girl who wasn't watching exactly where she was heading walked right smack into Hope. Instead of getting mad, she and the guy just laughed hysterically, while the girl gave them weird looks and walked somewhere else. "So, where are you from?" she asked him, who looked to be a bit older than her, and somewhat familiar…

          "New York City," he replied. "You?"

          "I'm from California. Santa Monica, to be exact. It's near L.A."

          "Cool. I'm Aaron."

          "Hope." She stuck out her hand and they exchanged the friendly handshake. Before they could talk some more, one of the counselors began to address them. "Hi, everyone. My name's Dawn and I'm one of the counselors here, and I will probably be one of your guys' counselors. Now, to start off, we're going to have everyone introduce themselves and tell us how old they are, where they're from, and what their name means. For example, I'd say, 'Hi, my name is Dawn, I'm twenty-two, I'm from Florida, and my name is pretty self-explanatory.'" This brought a few laughs. "Oh, and if you don't know what your name means, don't worry about it. Instead, tell us what you'd want to have your name mean."

          "Dawn?" a voice piped up.

          "Yes?"

          "Can I just tell you you're cool?"

          Everyone laughed. "Sure, thank you."

          "No problem."

          "So, are there any volunteers to start?" Dawn asked, after the commotion had died down. Hope raised her hand and Dawn smiled. "Okay, young lady. You have the honors of starting us off."

          "Cool. Hey everyone, I'm Hope Akira Takaishi, I'm really fifteen—shhh!—but I'll be sixteen in a few days, so I figured I'd stay in this category… anyway, I'm from Santa Monica, California, and like Dawn, my name is pretty self-explanatory." Hope grinned and Aaron knew he'd seen that smile sometime before in his life. She continued, "However, my middle name, Akira, comes from my Japanese descent and means 'anchor.' My father said that I was the anchor of my family." Her smile faded somewhat and became more subdued, like remembering that fact brought her sadness.

          "Oh yeah, tell us what you are here for," Dawn interjected.

          Brightening, Hope proceeded to tell them that she was here for music. "Singing, to be more specific. I love it more than anything."

          This proceeded to continue around the room—with a few interesting things for the name meanings—until the last person was left. "Hey everyone, my name's Aaron Taro Kamiya, I turn eighteen in a few days, I'm from New York City, I'm here for writing—screenwriting, actually—and my name means 'light-bringer.' I think it has something to do with my mom—she loves light…" Aaron shrugged. "It's just a hunch. As for the middle name, I don't know what it means, but I know it's Japanese."

          "Thank you, Aaron," Dawn concluded, just as the other group noisily finished up. "Now's the part for all the boring stuff, but I promise it's important, so listen up, okay?"

          As the long lecture of what to do and what not to do rambled on, Hope leaned over and asked Aaron, "So when's your birthday?"

          "July twenty-one. I'll be celebrating it here."

          Hope's eyes widened. "Oh, my gosh, you have the same birthday as I do."

          "Really? That's so awesome!" Aaron's blue eyes twinkled and Hope saw a familiar glint in his eyes, but couldn't figure out where she'd seen it before.

          "So… you said your mom likes light?" Hope asked, curiously.

          "Yeah… I've never figured it out, but light is very special to her."

          "Same thing with my dad, except it's with hope. I mean like hope itself, the 'virtue' or whatever you'd call it. I think that's why he named me Hope… and I've seen this weird design on his desk that says 'hope' underneath it… it's weird."

          "You know what… now that I think about it, my mom has a weird design on her desk with the word 'light' underneath it, too. It's like a light pinkish crystal thing."

          "My dad's is a light green one… whoa, that's weird, I thought no one else had something like that."

          "So, what does your mom do?" Aaron asked, trying to piece these strange facts together. He was starting to get an idea, and if he was right, Hope would answer that she didn't have a mother. Or at least, she hadn't seen her mother in a while. And sure enough…

          "My parents are divorced… I don't remember my mom. I was really little when they were divorced," Hope replied, with a sad look on her face.

          "If it makes you feel any better, my parents are divorced too, and I don't really remember my dad," Aaron confessed.

          "I'm sorry," she said, a note of sympathy in her voice.

          "It's okay… it's not like it's your fault anyway."

          An awkward silence fell upon the teens; Hope twirled a lock of her hair around her finger while Aaron toyed with the zipper of his tech vest, intently focusing (or at least pretending to) on the lecture the counselors were giving at the moment. 

          Finally, after what seemed like years, the "campers" were released into their dorms and such, and as Aaron and Hope parted ways, he called after her, "Hey, do you want to meet up for dinner?"

          "Yeah, I guess," she replied. "I'll see you then, okay?"

          "Okay!" And with that, it began.

-POV: Hope-

          "802… 804… 806… oh, duh!" I turned around to face the other side of the wall, and sure enough, room 807 was staring me in the face. I can be _so blonde sometimes._

          I opened the door to see two other girls sitting on one of the beds. "Oh, hi!" one of them, a curly red-headed girl with an infectious smile, greeted me. "You must be one of our roommates. Are you Hope or Marina?"

          "I'm Hope. And you are…?" I asked them.

          "I'm Rachel, and this is Kendall," the other girl, who had long lavender hair and bright blue eyes, replied. "You can take any of these beds," she instructed, motioning to the bunk beds on her right. I decided on the top bunk and threw my stuff on it. I sat on the bed below it and began talking to my roommates.

          "So… what are you guys here for?"

          "I'm here for dance," Kendall told me.

          "Jewelry making," Rachel said, not too enthusiastically. I raised an eyebrow and she explained, "My parents needed to get rid of me for two weeks, so they sent me here. My dad is a detective and makes a lot of money, so it wasn't a problem for them."

          "Where do you live?" I asked curiously.

          "In Canada. Not much of a change of scenery for me. I wish camp was somewhere like California or something."

          My eyes lit up at the thought of home. "That's where I'm from."

          "Really?" Rachel sat up excitedly. "Do you live by the beach?"

          I nodded. "Yeah. My dad's a writer, so he got this big house by the beach. But we have a pool. I don't know why, when the beach is like 10 feet away."

          Kendall laughed. "Sounds like my dad. You know those commercials that have that guy with the noodle cart?"

          "The guy with the really big hat?" Rachel asked.

          Kendall nodded and I smiled. Those were some funny commercials. "Yeah, him. Anyways, that's my dad."

          "Really?" Rachel and I asked in unison. Kendall nodded and said, "He's weird like that. We just opened up a shop in New York City, but it turns out that it's right next door to another noodle shop. So he doesn't know what he's gonna do." Kendall rolled her eyes. "My dad's weird like that. He likes to wear goggles from time to time, too, for no special reason."

          We all laughed, but our laughter was interrupted by the door opening and a girl, about our age, entering. "Hi… am I in the right room?"

          "If your name is Marina, you should be," I said.

          She smiled tentatively. "Yeah…" She scanned the room with her hazel eyes and said, "There's nowhere to plug in my laptop?"

          Rachel, Kendall and I looked at each other, then looked around the room. "What about behind the desk?" Rachel suggested. Marina put her stuff down in the already cluttered room and looked behind the desk. "Yay!" she exclaimed, and I took it to mean that there was a phone jack there. "That's awesome."

          As she began setting up her laptop, I asked her, "So, Marina, where are you from?"

          "Washington, DC. My twin is here too, but we got assigned to different rooms, so it kinda sucks. Although I think it's awesome to break away from her for a bit, you know? Everyone treats us as if we're carbon copies. It's annoying."

          Kendall nodded knowingly. "Yeah… I have a twin too, but she's not here. I know what that's like."

          "Cool…" She blinked and then said, "I'm sorry, I didn't get your names."

          "Oh, duh," I said sheepishly. "I'm Hope. Hope Takaishi."

          "Kendall Motomiya," Kendall introduced herself.

          Rachel smiled and said, "I'm Rachel Ichijouji."

          Marina nodded, smiled, then said, "I'm Marina, as you already know… Marina Kamiya. And my sister's name is Karina. Leave it to my parents to give us cutesy twin names that rhyme not only with each other, but with our last name, too." Marina rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm here for creative writing. And can you guys do me a favor?" She looked at us expectantly.

          "Sure." Kendall answered for all of us.

          "Just call me Mari. Kari doesn't mind being called by her full name, and it's actually easier since my aunt's name is Kari and it kinda gets confusing."

          "Okay…" I said slowly, trying to remember where I had heard that name before.

          Just then, Rachel checked her watch. "Oh man… we better head down to dinner. I have to take my medication." We looked at her curiously and she replied, "Allergies."

          "Ah." We all nodded. "Let's go then," I suggested, standing up. In the process, I hit my head on the bottom of the top bunk. "OW!"

          Kendall laughed. "Don't worry, I do it all the time too." As she headed to the door, she tripped over her suitcase and landed on the floor. "I'm okay!" we heard her say. She looked up at me sheepishly and said, "See, I told you. I wonder how I ever made it so far in dance. I'm supposed to be graceful and coordinated." She smiled and got up. We all headed out the door and towards our "lovely" dining quarters.

-POV: Aaron-

          I had just settled in and met my roommates—Raymond Ishida, Steve Kido, and Justin Hida—when we all decided we were going to go to dinner. Steve had to go, poor guy, to get his insulin injection. (He explained to us later that he's diabetic, which really sucks in my opinion. But Steve's a cool guy. He and I, apparently, grew up together in NYC for a while, until his parents moved away.) When we reached the mess hall, there was a huge line already! I heard my stomach rumbling and I knew I had to get in there fast. And Steve had already said that he wasn't feeling too great, so I knew he had to eat. I scanned the many heads of the people in front of us and I saw a flash of blonde hair that had to be Hope's. So I casually walked over there and tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned and smiled. "Hey, Aaron."

          "Hi. Listen… you wouldn't mind if we cut in front of you, would you?"

          "We?" she asked. I nodded. "My roommates and me. One of them's diabetic and he needs to eat right away… he's not feeling too great…"

          One of the girls with Hope nodded. "It's cool." She stepped back to let us through, and when I turned to my right, I found a welcome surprise.

          "Mari? Karina? Is that you?"

          Mari blinked, and Karina peered at me through her sunglasses, then they both exclaimed at the same time, "AARON!!!!" Then they decided to attack me with hugs. 

          "Hey, hey, guys, it's just me. You don't have to get all excited."

          "I know, but you're our favorite cousin in the whole wide world!" Karina explained.

          I rolled my eyes. "I'm your only cousin in the whole wide world."

          "That's not true. Dad says we have another cousin," Mari insisted.

          "Really, and you think I wouldn't know if I had another sister or brother?"

          "Well, Dad said so!" Karina jumped in. 

          I decided to give in, making a mental note to ask Uncle Tai about that. "Okay, whatever you say, girls. Anyway, what are you two up here for?"

          "Theater," Karina answered with a flourish. She's always been dramatic and I figured theater was perfect for her.

          "I'm here for creative writing," Mari told me.

          I smiled. "Hey, cool, I'm here for that too!"

          "All right!" She gave me a high-five.

          "Hey guys, I hate to break up the lovefest, but… how do y'all know each other, and Aaron, who are these wonderful guys who are standing around looking bored to death?" Hope interjected.

          "Wait, you know Aaron?" Karina asked me.

          "Yeah, and apparently so do you. So what's up?" Hope asked again. I had to laugh at her; she was pretty demanding.

          "Lighten up, Hope. Mari and Karina are my cousins."

          Hope smiled weakly. "I figured that."

          "Their dad and my mom are brother and sister," I explained.

          "Oh."

          "And," I added, gesturing towards my roomies, "these are Raymond Ishida, Justin Hida, and Steve Kido." Ray and Justin waved, while Steve clutched onto the handrail of the stairs we were standing on, as the line began to move. "Hey, Steve, you okay there?" one of the girls with Hope, the lavender-haired one, asked gently.

          "What? Yeah…" he answered.

          "He just needs food and he'll be fine," Justin explained. "It's his diabetes."

          All of us nodded and silently started walking towards the door. Suddenly, Hope burst out, "Ray? Oh my gosh, it's been ages since I've seen you!"

          Turns out I'm not the only one with a surprise family reunion.

          -POV: the all-knowing omniscient narrator [which would be me!]-

          The nine new friends all sat together in the dining hall and were getting to know each other better when a voice piped up, "Can I sit here with you guys?"

          "Sure," Aaron agreed, making room for the girl, with shoulder-length light brown hair laced with blonde and green eyes. "Hey, I've seen you before," he thought out loud.

          "Yeah… your name's Aaron, right?" the girl asked.

          Aaron nodded slowly, trying to place a name to the face. "Dawn?" he said, at last.

          Dawn's face broke out into a smile and she said, "Very good. And you're Hope, correct?" She turned to Hope, who was mid-bite with her salad. "Yeah. Hey, you're that counselor that we met over at those icebreakers we had!" she exclaimed, then Hope took the bite of her salad.

          "What room are you staying in?" Dawn queried.

          Hope tried desperately to finish chewing and swallowing, since Dawn was looking at her expectantly. Finally, Kendall interjected, "Since Hope is preoccupied at the moment, we're in room 807."

          "Really? That's one of my rooms," said Dawn happily.

          "Your rooms?" Ray asked.

          "Yeah… I'm a counselor here, and I have to watch over a certain number of rooms with my roomie. 807 is one of our rooms. So I guess I'll get to know you guys here. You are?" she began, looking pointedly at the twins.

          "I'm Karina Kamiya, and this is my twin, Marina," said Karina. "Marina's in room 807 with Hope and Kendall, but I'm in room 803."

          Rachel was oblivious to the whole thing and was already flirting with some guy sitting behind her. "That's Rachel," Kendall said, rolling her eyes. "And I'm Kendall Motomiya."

          "Motomiya?" Dawn repeated. Kendall nodded, and Dawn continued, "Um… is your dad's name Davis?"

          Kendall's eyes widened. "Yeah…"

          "Cool! I think my dad knows your dad."

          "Really? I'll ask him. What's your last name?"

          "Izumi. Ask him if he knows Izzy."

          "Izzy?" Rachel suddenly turned back to our conversation, her lavender hair hitting Justin in the face. "Ow!"

          "Sorry," Rachel apologized, then said excitedly (as she usually says everything), "You mean like Mr. Izumi? Wait… Dawn! Hi!"

          "Hi, Rachel. Kendall, you didn't tell me it was THIS Rachel. I know her." Dawn laughed. "Her parents and my dad are great friends." Dawn proceeded to pull out a small, worn, but still clear picture of a group of people. "My dad, he was part of this group called the Digidestined, and these were all his friends that were in the group with him. They all keep in touch, for the most part, except we've lost touch with a few of them. Rachel's parents are both in this picture." Ray peered over her shoulder, and said, "Hey, I've seen this picture before! My parents are both here too!"

          "Mine too!" Mari pointed to a teen, about nineteen, with a head that seemed to have a forest sprouting out of it, whose arm was around a girl with shoulder length auburn hair and crimson eyes. "Look, Kari, it's Mom and Dad… and Aunt Kari!"

          Mari put her finger to the center of the picture, where a young, tired, but pretty girl was sitting, a small bundle in her arms. She wasn't looking at the camera, but instead into the eyes of a handsome young man, who looked extremely happy. The camera seemed to capture a moment where it was just the young couple and no one else around them. "They look so in love," Hope said wistfully, who was now peering at the picture along with everyone else. Then a sudden thought struck her. The guy looked a lot like her uncle Matt, but he was standing off to the side with her aunt Christi. So… who else could it be? Hope gasped in recognition. It had to be her dad, and if that was her dad… 

          "Oh, my God, that's my mom," Hope said.

          "What?" Dawn looked up and saw Hope with tears in her eyes. "Hope, what is it?"

          Hope breathed in, trying to gain her composure. "Well, look, that's my dad." She pointed to the tall blonde kneeling next to the centerpiece of the picture. "And… I mean… I know my dad, and whenever he talks about my mom—which isn't often, mind you—he gets this look in his eyes… I know he still loves her… and that look he's giving that girl… it's exactly the same as when he talks about my mom. She even looks like the picture I have of her." Hope smiled, wiping a small tear from her eye.

          The next words to be heard shocked everyone, especially Hope.

          "That's _my mom, too."_

Oooh… a cliffhanger! hee hee hee… clicking on the review button below will increase your chances of finding out what happens next! 


	2. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

(author's note – dated October 31, 2003: For all of you who have read this before, there's an extra scene I had on my comp and never put in the story but was meaning to. It's here now. For all of you who haven't read it, just read it! It's cool. =D)

Thank you, thank you so much for your kind words. Man! 7 reviews in 2 days, I feel special. =D So, by popular demand, here is the next installment for my story. And a few comments before I go on…

-In this chapter, the explanation about the Digiworld and stuff sucks, only because I am not really interested in the Digimon. LOL. [So this would become an AU fic. =D] But I bet all you know the story anyways, so it doesn't really matter. Sorry in advance.

That's all. Now, here you go… enjoy!

~*~

Together Again: Chapter 1

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

          The tensome was silent as the shock hit them. Suddenly, all the noise of the dining hall—kids screaming, plates breaking, cups falling, trays being slammed onto tables—increased tenfold and Dawn realized it wasn't the place to discuss such things. And it looked like everyone was done eating anyway.

          "Hey, guys?" she said, breaking everyone out of their catatonic state. "How about we go to the rec room and talk about this there? I think it would be better. And I have a bigger and better picture up in my room, so I'll go get that before we meet up again."

          "Yeah…" Hope said absentmindedly. "I have a picture I want to get too."

          "Okay," Dawn agreed. "Meet in the rec room in ten minutes."

-POV: Hope-

          Dazed, I walked back to the room with Mari. She had a few pictures from her dad, and so she wanted to get them too. My head was spinning as I took in all this information—if that girl in the picture was my mom, and if that's Aaron's mom, too, then that means that Aaron's my brother? And that Mari and Karina are my cousins too? And that Ray is Aaron's cousin? This was just a bit too much for me.

          "Hope?" Mari said softly, jolting me out of my thoughts. "We're here."

          "Oh." I had been standing blankly in front of our dorm door for a few moments. "Well, we'd better go in, huh?"

          Mari laughed. "Sounds good." We walked in our room and while Mari searched in her designated drawer, I took out my special folder with all my important stuff in it. I nodded as I pulled out the picture I loved, stolen from one of my dad's drawers: it was of my dad and my mom, taken the day they were married. Whoever took the picture got it when they weren't looking; my dad is kissing my mom on the forehead, his hands are cupped around her cheeks, her hands are resting on his forearms. It's just the cutest thing I've ever seen. To think that my parents were that much in love… and now…

          "Hey, Hope, let's go. I think I have it."

          "Cool." We headed out of our dorm and back to the rec room.

-POV: me! [3rd person all knowing omniscient narrator]-

          When Mari and Hope entered, the rest of the group was sitting around a big poster. It was an enlargement of the picture that they had seen in the dining hall, and it was a better quality one, too. Everyone was busily pointing out their parents and aunts and uncles. Steve saw the twosome come in and announced, "They're here!"

          Dawn twisted around and smiled at them. "Come on, guys, take a seat. Hope, you get to sit in the center with Aaron, 'cause you guys are special."

          "Um, okay," Hope conceded. She sat down next to her "brother."

          "I wanted to tell you the story of this picture, because our parents shared a great bond, one that deserves telling. Now, a long, long time ago, back when our parents—" she gestured to the twins, Raymond, Steve, Aaron and Hope, "were younger than our age, they went to a summer camp not unlike this one. They got these weird devices called Digivices, and got to go to the Digital World and got Digimon. Now I don't know too much about that stuff, so I'll tell you about that later. But, they all had crests. There were eight original Digidestined: Tai, Sora, Matt, Mimi, Joe, Izzy, TK, and Kari. They finally achieved the purpose as to why they were there, so they all went home and led normal lives. Now, a new threat arose about four years after the original Digidestined left. TK and Kari were the youngest of the original Destined, so they still worked with the new Digidestined: Davis, Yolei, Cody, and later Ken. They were all great friends; a team. And though they weren't needed to fight the Digimon anymore, they still got together once in a while, especially for big events. And this one was one of them.

          "Ever since they met, everyone knew that TK and Kari were destined for each other. Even Azulongmon _(AN: sp?)_ said so—they had the special crests of Light and Hope. They were the most important of the Digidestined, and their crests had slightly more power than the rest of them. And by the time they were seventeen, they were engaged, and a surprise came along… which happens to be you, Aaron."

          "Oh, please, don't tell me things like this," Aaron moaned, covering his face with his hands. Everyone laughed. "Anyway," Dawn continued, "this picture was taken the day Aaron was born. All the Digidestined happened to be there, so they decided to take a picture. However, being the lovebirds your parents were, they weren't paying attention, so this is the result. I think, though, that it looks natural."

          All of them looked upon the picture again. "So… this means that Hope really is my sister?" Aaron finally said.

          Dawn nodded. "Yup. I mean, think about it, your name means light, hers means hope. It makes sense."

          Aaron nodded, then turned to Hope. "Hello, sister." 

          She smiled back at him. "Nice to meet you, brother."

Later…

          "What do you think happened?" Hope asked sadly, looking up at the picture now hanging up on the wall of their room.

          Mari followed Hope's gaze and said, "Well, I remember Dad telling me that they started having problems when their careers started taking off. Also, they were really young when Aaron was born, so that took a toll on them too. I guess they thought it was too much for them, so they decided to split up and focus on their careers on opposite sides of the country."

          "I wish I didn't have to do that to them," Hope whispered. What Mari was saying made sense—her dad was a workaholic. And from what Aaron had told her, his mom—"well, I guess my mom, now, too," she thought—worked long hours. And then she remembered something Aaron had said to her only hours before…

*Flashback*

          _"If it makes you feel any better, my parents are divorced too, and I don't really remember my dad," Aaron confessed._

_ "I'm sorry," Hope said, a note of sympathy in her voice._

_ "It's okay… it's not like it's your fault anyway."_

*Real time*

          _He didn't know_, Hope thought. _Maybe it_ was _my fault_. She looked up at the picture of her parents again and shook her head. "What a shame… a love like that should be able to overcome anything." She sighed sadly. "If only there was a way to get them back together again…"

-POV: Aaron-

          It was now the day before my birthday, and I decided I was going to go check my mail—Mom had said she would send me something today. As I walked into the hallway, I found Hope standing there, waiting patiently. "Hi," I greeted her, flashing my trademark grin. "You here to get the mail, too?"

          "Yep." Finally, the door opened to the room where students could check their mail. Sure enough, there was the package that Mom had promised she'd send me, right there. I grabbed it off the top shelf and looked over at Hope, who was still looking through the mail. I decided to wait for her outside, eagerly opening up the package as I did so. After sifting through a huge wad of tissue paper [that's my mom—she overdoes it on the tissue ALL the time], I found something. It was a keychain, a deep green one with a symbol on it, something that I didn't really understand. 

-POV: 3rd person (me!)-

Hope sifted through the contents of the metal box labeled "T" and found a card from her best friend, Isabella, and a slip that said "package." _A package_? Hope thought. She looked up at the top ledge and finally found a medium-sized package addressed to her. Hope smiled as she walked out; seeing as the package was from her dad. She opened it up to find a card, a few pictures, a batch of Snickerdoodle cookies (Hope's favorite), and a small, wrapped box. Hope unwrapped the iridescent pink paper and opened the box gingerly. Inside the box was a necklace with a symbol that looked like the sun, against a backdrop of pink. Her father had instructed, in a small note inside the box, "Hope—Put this necklace on, and I'll explain to you tomorrow what it means." Tomorrow was her birthday… did that mean he was coming to visit her? She had to tell Aaron. As she turned to find him, a familiar green image met her eyes, and Hope gasped audibly.

-POV: Aaron-

As my keychain glinted in the sun, I heard a gasp, and Hope ran over to me, her mail in tow, breathlessly saying, "AaronohmygoshmydadiscomingtomorrowandthekeychainthatyouhavelookslikethatthingItoldyouaboutthatmydadhaswiththegreenanditsayshopeunderneathit!"

          _What?_ I blinked and said, "Repeat, please."

          Hope laughed. "Sorry. My dad is coming tomorrow! And that keychain that you're holding looks like that thing I told you about—you know, the thing my dad has that's green and says hope underneath it? That."

          I blinked again, and then saw Hope's necklace. "Hope… where did you get your necklace?"

          "This?" Hope fingered the pendant around her neck. "My dad gave it to me. He said he'd explain what it means to me tomorrow. Which means he's coming!"

          "That… looks like the thing my mom has on her desk, the one that says light underneath it. It looks exactly like it."

          "So… did you get that from your mom?" Hope asked me, referring to my keychain.

          "Yeah. She said she was gonna come tomorrow for my birthday and explain to me the significance of this," I told her. Suddenly, something dawned on me. "If you are turning sixteen, and I'm turning eighteen… both really significant birthdays… your dad must be giving you something that belonged to Mom, and Mom must be giving me something that belonged to your—our—dad."  

          Hope nodded in agreement, then said, "Aaron, our parents are going to be here tomorrow! Don't you think we should let them know that we know about them?"

          "Nah." I had been formulating a plan that would make our parents' reunion so much sweeter… although it would take more time to carry it out. "I have an idea of how we should go about doing this."

          "Really."

          "Yeah. It keeps getting better and better the more I think about it." I paused in thought, going over my plan again in my head.

          "So… do you plan to let me know what your little plan is?" Hope ventured. I smiled elusively at her and began, "I may only have been your brother for a few days, but I think I know you pretty well."

          "Really," Hope repeated. "Your point being…"

          "What do you want more than anything—except Mom and Dad getting back together?" I asked. Hope's expression contorted a bit… I could tell she was confused. But she'd know everything soon enough. 

          "Well, I want to be a singer more than anything," Hope replied, finally, after pondering the issue. I smiled. This was exactly what I was counting on. "So… you've heard of Stratus Records, right?"

          "Yeah… they're only the biggest record label in the country," Hope retorted.

          I nodded. "I know someone that works there, and I could probably get you a record deal," I said with a straight face.

          Hope's confused and suspicious expression turned to one of surprise and delight. "Oh, my God! How… that's awesome!" 

          I smiled mysteriously as I watched her, waiting for the unspoken question that would tell her everything. I counted silently. _3… 2… 1…_

          "Who is it that you know, Aaron?" Hope questioned.

          "Mom. She's a talent scout for them." Finally, the point is reached.

          Hope's eyes widened. "So… I send her a demo, and she likes it, I get to go to New York… with Dad… and they meet! Aaron, that's great!"

          She was outlining my plan perfectly… except for one minor detail. "Well, yeah. Except that I was hoping you could record your demo tomorrow so I can send it home with Mom."

          "Tomorrow?!" Hope shrieked, causing some other students to turn and look at us. Hope lowered her voice and whispered, "Is there a recording studio here?"

          I nodded. "Yup, and you have an appointment tomorrow morning."

          "But… how… Aaron, how did you pull it off? Isn't it hard to get a chance to record in there?"

          "Yeah, but Steve works there. He said he'd squeeze you in."

          "Oh, Aaron, thank you!" Hope threw herself at me, and I returned her hug. "Isn't that what big brothers are for?"

          She smiled up at me. "Yeah… I guess."

          "Besides, I'm not just doing this for you, I'm doing it for Mom and Dad, too."

          Hope nodded in agreement. "Well put. Anyway… I already have a song in mind."

          "Great. Bring it tomorrow and we'll work with it."

          Hope smiled widely at me, a sense of excitement about her. Our plan was set… I just hope to God that it works.

Will the plan work? Will TK and Kari run into each other for the first time in I don't know how many years? Will the crests of Hope and Light react to the presence of their owners? All will be answered in Chapter 2. As always… please review! 


	3. Setting the Ball in Motion

Again, by popular demand… here is chapter 2! [You guys are making me post this faster than I naturally would have… but hey, it's all good. =D Updates may not be as frequent after this… my time is slowly being sucked away. But then again… there's always pre-calculus class to write in. hee hee.]

To answer some of the reviews…

_TakeruG: Yes, I know it's weird having Japanese people use American names. But I'm not the best at Japanese names, so I don't want to botch it up. And having the DD's live in North America makes things easier for me, since I'm more acquainted with that than Japan. Sorry if that bothers you. I would have used Japanese names in the fic for the DD's… but I don't know them all too well—I feel more comfortable with American names._

And… it isn't Dawn who tells Hope about what happened between TK and Kari, it's Mari who does so. This way, it really is still in the family—Tai would probably tell Mari about her aunt and uncle, it's only natural. Dawn only fills in the story about the DD's. [And besides, Dawn's twenty-two, she'd be mature enough to deal with the truth even if Izzy told her about it… which he didn't. No one besides Tai, TK and Kari really knows the details of the divorce.] 

To the one anonymous reviewer who left me 16 copies of the same review… thank you, but you really only need to tell me once. =D I appreciate reviews, but not if they're going to clog up the review box. 

_eunc: Don't worry about being too lazy to sign in. I review like that ALL the time. =D Doesn't matter if you're signed in, all that matters is the review._

_karikamiya07: What song is Hope going to sing? You'll find out in Chapter 3. It goes with the plotline of that chapter. [Which, by the way, I'm going through a little writer's block with that at the moment, so… don't expect it anytime soon. Maybe in 4 days. I know that's kinda long but bear with me here. My senior year is very hectic.]_

AND… I changed the title because… I'm going to write a sequel! Yay! "One Light, One Hope" is a better title for the sequel [you'll see why when we get to that] than for this fic, so the title has changed. Same story though. Yay.

Anyways, here's chapter 2. OH—before I forget, I forgot to do this in the last few chapters.

Angel of Music (AM): Hope, would you like to do the honors?

Hope *smiles sweetly*: Sure! AM does not own Digimon or its characters. They belong to… *leans over to AM and whispers* Who do they belong to?

AM: *shrug* Not me.

Hope: Well… they just don't belong to the author. Okay? So don't sue! *runs off*

AM: Thank you, Hope. Now on to the story.

~*~

Together Again: Chapter 2

Setting the Ball in Motion

          Hope woke to the sound of her cell phone beeping lightly. "What… oh." She rolled over and turned it off. Below her, Mari was peacefully sleeping—her classes didn't start until 9:30. Rachel was snoring in one of the other beds, but Kendall was blinking her eyes awake. She waved at Hope, who smiled back. "I have to get going soon," Hope whispered. "I'm recording today."

          Kendall gave Hope a thumbs up and leaned back against her pillow. After getting ready—making sure to put on her father's gift—Hope grabbed her CD and headed out to the recording studio.

-POV: Aaron-

          I yawned for the fourth time in five minutes. _Why did I agree to having Hope record so early? But seeing the look on her face when I told her she could get a record deal was priceless. And it was for Mom and… well, Dad, too, so I guess it was worth it. Steve was waiting in the production booth. "How long is it going to be until she gets here?"_

          "Not long at all," a voice answered, beating me to the punch. Hope stood in the doorway, CD in hand, looking a bit sleepy. "Good morning."

          "Good morning, Hope. And happy birthday," I greeted her, giving her a hug.

          "Happy birthday, yourself. So, how does it feel to be 'legal?'" Hope asked mischievously, a sparkle now forming in her eyes.

          I yawned again. "Sleepy."

          She cracked up. "I know the feeling." Then she headed over to Steve and handed him her CD. "Hey, do you mind if I warm up? It's kinda hard to sound good when you haven't warmed up."

          Steve nodded. "Go ahead. I'm going to figure out what I can do with this CD, so just sing whatever you want to."

          Hope agreed, and putting on the headphones, walked over to the mike. She began to sing, and though I couldn't hear her because the mike was off, the sounds that floated through the glass were beautiful. I couldn't wait to hear her sing. If she was as good as she sounded now, Mom would love to have her on the label.

          Finally, after a few false starts on both Hope's and Steve's parts, the recording was over. Steve had just given us the okay to make noise again when I heard footsteps at the door. Hope had seen who it was and frantically gestured for me to hide, so I did… but through the reflection of the glass of the studio, I could see who the person was. A tall blonde man, with messy hair just like Hope's, came into the studio. I gasped as I realized who it was. All these years of not having a father, not knowing him, and finally, I had caught my first glimpse of him—on all days, my eighteenth birthday. It took all my willpower for me not to yell out.

          "Daddy!" Hope yelled, running into his arms.

          "Hello, sweetheart," he replied, giving her a hug. "Have you been enjoying your stay here?"

          Hope nodded. "More than you can imagine. I've met so many new people and made so many new friends." 

          "That's great. So… what are you doing here this early?" Dad asked her.

          She glanced, panicky, over at me, and I mouthed to her, "birthday gift." She got the message and said, "I… uh… one of my friends found out it was my birthday today and decided to get me a recording session, since you know how much I love to sing." I exhaled inaudibly. _Good save, little sis._

          "How nice! And speaking of birthday presents… I see you have another one on."

          Smiling, Hope replied, "Yeah… it's so pretty, Daddy. Where did you get it?"

          Dad took Hope's hand and began to lead her out. "This is the Crest of Light," he explained, his voice getting softer as they got farther away from me. "It belonged to your mother…"

          As soon as the coast was clear, I stepped out. Steve handed me the CD of Hope's singing and said, "Good luck. I hope everything works out."

          "Thanks, Steve. It means a lot."

-POV: Hope-

          Sadly, my dad couldn't stay long. It was great to see him, and what he had told me about my pendant was very special to me. You see… this necklace here is actually the Crest of Light. It was once my mother's, and through it, she possessed great powers. Nothing scary like witchcraft or whatever. It was just very powerful in healing people and relationships… or something. Anyway, he wanted to give it to me so that I could have something that would remind me of Mom. "I know how hard it is for you," Dad had said. "I'm sorry that you had to grow up without a mother… and I hope this will give you a bit of consolation."

          It did. But what he doesn't know yet is that I've found more consolation in my brother. I couldn't wait to meet up with him again and ask him more about Mom. 

          So after my dad had left, I made my way to the rec room, where Aaron and… oh, my goodness… his mom were exchanging goodbyes. I hung back a little, not wanting to spoil our plan by letting Mom see me. But she was beautiful… Her chestnut hair hung to her shoulders, silver earrings glinting in her ears. Her eyes were a deep chocolate—like mine—and there was just something around her… like an aura or something. I then realized that it must be her crest of Light. Dad had explained to me that even though I had the crest now, the virtue was deep inside each carrier and that the crest only strengthened that power. Tears welled up in my eyes as I leaned against the wall. It was so awesome seeing my mom, after all these years… and on all days, my sixteenth birthday. I silently whispered a prayer for her as she turned and left. Then, after composing myself, I walked up to Aaron. "Hey."

          He turned and smiled at me. "Hey yourself." He then looked closer at me and saw the look in my eyes, and his expression softened. "What's wrong?"

          "Nothing. It's just that… I just saw my mother for the first time in a long time. It's just…" I breathed deeply. "It's just overwhelming, you know?"

          Aaron nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "I know. That's how I felt this morning when you were with Dad. It was amazing to finally see him."

          We both stood there in thoughtful silence… and then I remembered. I had thought of something while I was recording, but I hadn't been able to touch base with Aaron until now. "Aaron?"

          "Hmm?"

          "What if this doesn't work? Our plan, I mean."

          He thought about it for a moment. "I don't see why it shouldn't."

          "But what if I'm not good enough? Do we have a Plan B?"

          "No." Aaron frowned. 

          "Well, we do now." He looked at me curiously and I elaborated, "Look. You're a writer. Dad's a writer. If Plan A doesn't work, you can give some of your work to me, and I will give it to him. Then he can find a publisher and you consult with him and bring Mom along with you."

          Aaron nodded. "And what if _that doesn't work?"_

          Now it was my turn to frown. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." _Hopefully, we won't have to deal with that, I thought._

          "Okay." Aaron smiled. "Mom has the CD… but I made a copy for you." He held up a CD, and I smiled back. "You're the best, Aaron."

          "Like I said… it's what big brothers do. Now let's go listen to it." We headed into the rec room.

-POV: 3rd person-

          Aaron and Hope walked into the room and Hope furrowed her eyebrows. "Why is it so dark in here?" she asked aloud.

          Suddenly, the lights switched on and a loud "SURPRISE!!!" was heard. Aaron gasped, and Hope took in everything that was in front of her. "Oh, you guys…"

          The rec room had been decorated with streamers and balloons, and there were presents in one corner. Standing in the room were friends, roomies, and counselors, and they all began to sing as Mari and Ray came towards the siblings, each holding one end of a cake, fully decorated and candles lit.

          "Come on you guys, blow out your candles," Mari urged as soon as the singing ceased. Aaron and Hope turned and smiled at each other, then proceeded to blow out all twenty-one candles. What Hope had wished for the last fourteen or so years had finally come true today, and Aaron finally had his wish of so many years ago granted: they had found each other, and their parents.

Yes, I know, short chapter, please forgive me. The action is coming up in the next chapter. [And there's Takari in it! YAY! finally! =D] You guys know what to do, right? *chants* _The__ button is calling you… review, review, review… you know you want to…_


	4. Plans Go Awry

AN: As I am writing the sequel to this (yes! I am alive, there is hope!), I realize that there are inconsistencies with the timeline that I'm trying to write… so the proposal scene in this chapter has been totally revised. If you're reading my sequel at the moment, think of that as a hint to what's happening in the chapter that I'm writing and plan to post soon…

Together Again: Chapter 3

Plans Go Awry

          Kari Kamiya stood at the door of her New York City apartment, rummaging through her purse for her key. It had been a long day—she'd taken the day off to visit her son Aaron at camp, but she'd had to return early because of the many appointments she had the next day. Finally, Kari's hand emerged, holding the key, which she then used to let herself in. Dragging in her small bag and dumping it on the floor, Kari sighed as she crashed on the couch. _This place is so lonely, she thought. __If only… But Kari knew that it could never be. They'd agreed to be separate a long time ago, live different lives. But was a career really worth giving up love and family? She was starting to question that now. For it had been over ten years, but somehow, she could not move on. _

          Kari shook her head, as if she could physically get rid of her thoughts, and decided to get ready for bed. It was already one in the morning here in NYC, and she had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. She took her purse into her room, and set it on the bed as she got her night clothes ready. The CD had spilled out onto the bed, and when Kari came back, she found it there, and remembered Aaron's words: "Mom, listen to this. It's a friend of mine, and she's trying to get a record deal. She's really good." She trusted Aaron's judgment, and so placed it in her CD player as she picked up her brush and ran it through her hair, listening for the song.

_There's a song that's inside of my soul_

_It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again_

          Kari froze, her brush mid-stroke. It was this song… a song that had special meaning for her. The voice was very good—no doubt about that—but it was the song that struck her, and bombarded her with memories.

_I'm awake in the infinite cold, but you sing to me over and over and over again_

_So I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

_Sing to me the song of the stars_

_Of your galaxies dancing and laughing and laughing again_

*Flashback*

          _It was the day before Kari was leaving for __New York__, to study abroad for a semester. She knew this was going to be the last time she'd be able to spend time with T.K. for a long while, so she was really looking forward to it, knowing that it would create a memory that she could treasure for a long time._

_          Kari didn't know what T.K. had planned for her that evening, until she realized they were headed to the park not far from their houses. There, she found a picnic ready and waiting for them, and the serenity of the area added a special touch of romance to the setting. The two of them sat by the lake, underneath a multicolored ceiling of clouds and sky, with the setting sun barely reflected in the lake. Kari didn't tell TK about what she was thinking—she didn't have to. He picked up on it right away when she lay back on the blanket and looked up at the sky._

_          "Light, what's wrong?" Kari smiled. Only TK was allowed to call her that._

_          "Nothing… I'm really excited for this trip… but I'm going to miss you so much."_

_          "I know." T.K. kissed her forehead and began to stroke her hair lightly. "I'm going to miss you too… more that I could ever imagine." They sat there for a while; all they needed was knowing that the other was there._

*Real time*

          As the song played on, Kari felt an overwhelming sadness come to her. She had never fully battled away the darkness; since she was the keeper of light, she was the most acquainted with darkness. That darkness was accompanied by a memory that she thought she had buried a long time ago.

_When it feels like my dreams are so far,_

_sing_ to me of the plans that you have for me over again__

_So I lay my head back down,_

_and_ I lift my hands and pray to be only yours__

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

*Flashback*

          _"Congratulations, Mrs. Takaishi, it's a girl!"_

_          Kari leaned back in exhaustion, tears streaming down her face. This was her second child, her little girl, yet TK wasn't there for her. He had said something about a writer's convention or something like that. He didn't know, however, that their daughter decided to be born two weeks early. _Still_, Kari thought, he's been neglecting his family for his career. Maybe now, things will get better_.__

_          The little bundle, with soft wisps of TK's golden hair, and deep chocolate-ruby eyes that Kari had given her, was placed into Kari's arms and Kari smiled. "Hello, my little angel," she cooed. The baby, who had ceased crying and was now looking up into the eyes of her mother, snuggled in closer to her, instinctively knowing that her mother needed her. Kari tried to blink back tears as she thought of all the trouble her family was going through. This little girl was her only hope to bring them back together. "We need you, little one. Your daddy isn't here right now… but it's not his fault. Hopefully when he gets back, you can meet him, and then maybe…" She trailed off. For a while, she felt like no one really needed her. But one look at this little miracle, and she knew that at least someone needed her—very much. "You're my only hope," Kari whispered._

_          Just then, a nurse came in to check on them. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we need to record a name for her birth certificate."_

_          Kari looked down at her daughter and nodded. "Hope. Her name is Hope Takaishi." _

*Real time*

          "My Hope," she whispered. She missed her daughter. It had been so long since she had seen her… or even thought about her. "Funny how this song made me think of her," Kari noted. And actually, the singer was pretty good. Very good, in fact. She reached out to stop the CD and add it to the top of the pile of potential artists, but something stopped her—the next few words of the song, which triggered yet another memory.

_I give you my destiny_

_I'm giving you all of me_

_I want your symphony singing in all that I am_

_At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back_

*Flashback* (AN: This flashback continues from the first flashback from earlier.)

          _TK was nervous. Kari could tell. Someone who didn't know him as well as she did wouldn't be able to notice… but she'd known him for nine years, and had been romantically involved with him for half of that. Sure enough, TK's slightly wavering voice asked, "Kar?"_

_          Her eyes shifted from the sky to TK's brilliant azure eyes. "Yes?"_

_          "I… uh, I have something to talk to you about."_

_          Kari sat up expectantly. "What is it?"_

_          TK exhaled. "We've known each other a long time, and in that span of time, we've learned to love each other."_

_          Kari smiled, but didn't say anything. TK continued, "Do you remember back when we first got together, and everyone was telling us that they'd been waiting for it for ages?"_

_          "How can I forget?" Kari rolled her eyes. At the tender age of fourteen, the two of them had been officially declared a "couple," and everyone from their brothers to Sora and Mimi (Kari regarded them as older sisters) to even Izzy and Cody had congratulated them and said something along the lines of, "Well, it's about time!"_

_          They both laughed at this and TK continued, taking Kari's hand into his own, "One of them—I think it was Sora—told me that she knew that we were meant to be together. She said that she believed we were going to be together forever."_

_          Kari nodded, and she thought she might know where this was leading to, and her heartbeats quickened. "Now, after all we've been through, all the years we've been together… I think she's right… even through the separations we may encounter. So… before you leave… I want you to have this, so that you know how much I love you, no matter what." He pulled a small object out of his pocket and presented it to Kari. "Open it."_

_          With unsteady hands, Kari took the small box from TK and opened it slowly. Glistening inside was a light pink stone, the symbol of the Crest of Light barely visible within it. It was set atop a band of gold. Kari gasped. "Oh, TK…" When she looked back up at him, TK's eyes expressed something she'd never seen before, and he asked her the one question that would change her life forever._

_          "Hikari Kamiya, my angel of Light, will you marry me?"_

_          Kari beamed, not hesitating for a second. "Of course, TK. I want that more than anything in the world."_

_          TK's smile rivaled that of Kari's as he swept her into a big hug. "I love you, Kari. More than anything in this world." He pulled away from her and took the ring that was sitting in her lap and slipped it on her left ring finger. "Thank you, Light. You have made me the happiest person in the world. I am so lucky to have you."_

_          Kari stroked her fianc__é's face gently. "I'm the lucky one, Takeru." And she leaned in to kiss him, underneath the now darkened sky illuminated by the first beams of moonlight._

*Real time*

          _I was so happy then, Kari thought sadly. As the song finished up, she realized that she needed to stop living in the past—or at least, talk about it with someone. She could think of only one person that was close enough to meet and discuss the song and her memories with… but she couldn't call him now. "As soon as I get up tomorrow, I'll call him," she resolved, as she got into bed and listened to the talent that flowed from that CD._

_So I lay my head back down_

_and__ I lift my hands and pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

~*~

(A week and a half later)

-POV: Aaron-

          "I can't believe this is it," Hope sighed. It was the last day of camp, and as she waited for Dad to pick her up, she gave me a piece of paper. "This is my e-mail address," she explained. "I figure it's the safest way to communicate, since my dad can intercept phone calls and snail mail. My screen name is on there too."

          I took it and stashed it in my "most important works" folder. "Thank you, Hope. I'll e-mail you as soon I can, okay? Oh… and if our original plan doesn't work… you might need this." I handed her a folder chock-full of short stories, poems, longer works, plays, screenplays, and "fan fiction," as it was called, that I had written. 

          Hope gingerly opened it and sifted through some of the papers. "Thanks, big bro. If I don't need it, I'll keep it as a reminder of you and these good times." She smiled bittersweetly, and I saw tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, come here you." I gathered her into a big hug. "Don't cry. I'll keep in touch. And you know we're gonna have to get Mom and Dad together again somehow, so we will be together again before you know it."

          Hope sniffled in my arms. "I know. I just don't want to leave, now that I know I have a brother. We'll be across the country from each other!"

          "Not for long. I promise." Suddenly we heard her name being called and she looked up. "Dad's here."

          "Then you'd better go." Hope didn't budge.

          "Come on, Hope. The sooner you go, the sooner we'll see each other again."

          Hope nodded and gathered up her stuff. "'Bye, Aaron. You better keep in touch with me, or else."

          I cracked a smile. "Don't worry about it, little sis. You'll be tired of me before you know it."

          She turned one last time and shot back, "I doubt it," before she walked out of the room.

          "Goodbye, little sister," I whispered after her, a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Goodbyes weren't usually hard for me, but this one… this one was different.

          One by one, all of my new friends left, until it was just Kendall, Dawn, and me. "My dad isn't gonna come," Kendall finally said. "I have to get from here to NYC by myself."

          "Not all by yourself," I told her. "I'm going there too. And I have no ride. So we can go together."

          Kendall brightened. "Yay! Can I come with you to your mom's house? 'Cause like… I have no idea where my dad is at the moment. I can get in contact with him from there."

          I ran my hand through my hair. "Sure. It's cool." I checked my watch. "My flight is scheduled to leave soon, so we better get going."

          "Okay." We gathered up our belongings and started to head out, but not before we said goodbye to Dawn. "Thank you so much for all your enlightenment, Dawn. I really appreciate it."

          She smiled warmly. "No problem. I'm glad to have met you, Aaron. You, too, Kendall."

          She smiled back. "I'll make sure to talk to my dad about you."

          "Me too," Dawn agreed. We all exchanged hugs and prepared to leave.

          We finally arrived in New York at about eleven at night. Kendall was amazed at the city—she'd never been there before. "We just kind of live wherever my dad thinks a noodle shop will thrive," she'd explained. She was wide-eyed as we took the subway back home. It was amusing to see her like this. Throughout our journey home, I had been observing her. She was actually very pretty, with a great sense of humor, and very witty. She had this natural grace—I guess it comes with being a dancer—and was just really, really cool. I decided I liked her. Not like liked her—not yet anyway—but I wanted to get to know her better before I made any decisions.

          Finally, we reached my apartment and I let myself in. "Mom?" I asked. "I'm home!" I looked in the direction of the living room and dropped my stuff, my mouth hanging open. My mom was with someone. And not just with someone—she was _kissing him! I was about to turn to Kendall and apologize on behalf of my mom when my mom and this guy abruptly broke apart. "Aaron… hi… I can explain," my mom stuttered._

          I tried desperately to keep my cool. This would not bode well with Hope's and my plan. I was about to turn to Kendall again with my original intent when she asked something that shocked us all.

          "Dad? Wh—what are you doing here?"

*GASP* A Daikari? No!!! (Don't worry, I'm not that evil.) See what happens in the next chapter…


	5. Breakthrough

My, my, my, I didn't know I was going to get that many reviews (that were sort of on the flamey side… but they keep me warm in this COLD weather! [Cold for Southern California anyways]) for the last chapter. They are appreciated. =D Even if they're a bit flamey. hee hee. And because of your impatience… heh heh… you get a new chapter! Be happy—this may be the last one you get in a while. 

_TogetherAgain: Hey! Your user name matches the title of my story! How awesome is that? =D Thanks for your reviews, they make me happy._

Now calm down, everyone, this is not going to be a Daikari. I promise. [I agree with you all… Takari is the best! Yay!] But you didn't think everything was going to be _all happy, did you? That would be too… unoriginal. Anyways, all will be explained in this chapter. And… when I write the sequel, a lot of it refers back to this chapter. (You'll see what I mean when I begin the sequel and post it.) So keep that in mind. This story is almost done, but not quite… so yeah. Just read._

**And a poll for you all: who should find out that they're meeting first? Should Hope tell T.K. first, or should Aaron tell Kari who his friend _really is? Let me know. It'll affect the next two chapters. =D_**

Okay on to the story, but not before a word from our sponsors…

Disclaimer: *sigh* Digimon isn't mine. Get over it.

Together Again: Chapter 4

Breakthrough

-POV: Aaron-

          The four of us stood there in shocked silence, until I abruptly told Mom, "I'm going to my room. We'll talk later." Then I turned to Kendall, who was still in shock, and said, "Hey. I'll keep in touch, okay?" I grabbed the notepad off the table by the door and scribbled some stuff onto it. "Here. Take care, okay?" She nodded and then we hugged. Trying to ignore my mom and Kendall's dad, I took my stuff and retreated to my room. I caught a glimpse of my laptop in the corner, and on impulse, I looked at the clock. 12:06 a.m. _It's only 9 pm in California. I really needed to talk to Hope._

          Setting my stuff down, I logged on and punched in Hope's name into my Buddy List (_AN: think AIM here). Sure enough, her screen name appeared, and I sent her an IM._

_the__ write stuff: Hope? It's Aaron. We need to talk… something's wrong._

_CaliGurlHope06: aaron!_

_CaliGurlHope06: did you just get home? you sure got on fast. but it's good to see you._

_CaliGurlHope06: what's wrong?_

_the__ write stuff: Well, I just got here, and Mom was with someone. But she wasn't just with someone, she was WITH someone… if you know what I mean._

_CaliGurlHope06: like… WITH someone? *gasp* don't tell me these things, aaron! are you, like, trying to corrupt me or something?_

_the__ write stuff: NO! Hope, they were only kissing._

_CaliGurlHope06: only?!?!?!_

_the__ write stuff: Yes, only. But the worst part of it all is… it was Kendall's dad._

_CaliGurlHope06: oh, no… so are they like dating? i hope not… we have to get mom and dad back together though!_

_the__ write stuff: I know! But at the moment, I don't know if Mom and Kendall's dad are going out. (I hope not… she's kinda cute.)_

_CaliGurlHope06: ooh, aaron likes kendall, aaron likes kendall…_

_the__ write stuff: Be quiet, she's still here!_

_CaliGurlHope06: she is? let me talk to her!_

          I heard the door close and Mom call, "Aaron? We need to talk. Come out here."

          _That's an understatement, I thought bitterly. "Hold on, Mom—give me two minutes!" I called back, then turned back to the computer._

_the__ write stuff: She just left. Anyways, I have to go. I'm going to find out what exactly is going on with Mom and Kendall's dad._

_CaliGurlHope06: okay. e-mail me, okay? i want to know what's up._

_the__ write stuff: I promise I will. I'll ttyl, okay?_

_CaliGurlHope06: okay. bye aaron!_

_the__ write stuff: Bye!_

**the**** write stuff signed off at ****12:11:31 A.M.******

-POV: Kari-

          As I waited for Aaron to come out, I thought back to when Davis came over earlier…

*Flashback*

          _I was listening to the CD that Aaron gave me again when the buzzer rang. I went over to the speaker. "Hello?"_

_          "Kari? It's __Davis__. Can I come up?"_

_          "Well you came all the way from __Brooklyn__, so I guess." I smiled as I pushed the button to let him in._

_          A few minutes later, a knock came at the door. "Hey, Kari," __Davis__ greeted me._

_          "Hey, __Davis__.__ Come on in." I let him in and we sat at the table. "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked._

_          It all came tumbling out: how lonely I felt, not just because Aaron was at camp, but especially because of the song that reminded me of T.K. and Hope. Davis nodded, then somehow got us talking about our pasts, reminiscing back to when we were younger than our kids and in the Digital World. And then…_

_          "Kari, do you remember how I used to have the biggest crush on you, back when we were really young?"_

_          I laughed softly. "All that chasing after me and offering to do me all these things? That's not hard to forget."_

_          "Good."_

_          I looked up at him with a confused expression. "__Davis__, what are you—"_

_          But I didn't get a chance to finish, because __Davis__ had leaned over the table and pressed his lips against mine. What was he doing? I didn't like him that way—I never have—but… somehow, I got lost in the moment, maybe because I was feeling so lonely. Thankfully, common sense regained control in my brain and I tried to push him away, but he only sought to deepen our kiss._

*Real time*

          "And then they came in and saw everything," I said to myself.

          "Mom." I looked up at the entrance to the hallway and saw my son standing there. For a brief moment, he reminded me so much of T.K.—his stance, his build, his hair, that looked like Tai's more than anyone else's—and the stern look he was giving me. "Aaron, don't look at me like that." For goodness sakes, I'm his mother and yet he's trying to act as if I was his daughter!

          "Mom, I understand that you'd like to see new people, but…" Aaron sighed. I patted the seat next to me on the sofa and he sat down. "Why didn't you tell me?"

          "There's nothing to tell. Other than what you walked into was a compromising position, but it was also an accident."

          "An accident?" Aaron looked confused now. "Kisses are never accidents."

          I raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you speak from experience."

          Aaron flushed a bit. "That's not the point. Go on."

          I nodded. "That was Davis Motomiya, a good friend of mine from back in junior high and high school. He's the owner of the franchise of those noodle stores—"

          "I know." Aaron cut me off. "If you didn't notice, I walked in with his daughter. I met her at camp."

          "You did?"

          "Yeah… along with a lot of other cool people." His expression changed subtly; but I didn't have the time or the energy to call him on it. So I continued. "Anyway, that song that you gave me… it reminded me a lot about the divorce and everything, and I needed to talk to someone. So he came over, since he's the closest one of my good friends around, and we talked, and the next thing I know, he was kissing me. It was weird, and I didn't want him to do it, and I wasn't expecting it. I was trying to push him away when you came in."

          "I see." Aaron leaned back against the couch, folding his arms. He was quiet for a few minutes, until I asked softly, "Aaron?"

          "Yeah? I'm not mad at you… well, not really."

          "And why would you be mad at me?" I prodded.

          A shadow suddenly passed through his face momentarily, as if he had his own little agenda. "I have my reasons. But, Mom," he asked, changing the subject, "what did you think of that CD I gave you? Other than the already stated, I mean."

          "It was really good, Aaron. Good enough to stir up memories that I haven't touched in a while. Who was she?"

          "My friend," Aaron stated simply. "So do you think that she can come here to consult with you?"

          "Not quite yet. I have to submit her demo to my boss. But tell me a bit more about her."

-POV: Aaron-

          I squirmed a bit. I tried to figure out a way to do this without giving away the fact that Hope was her own daughter. "Well… she just turned sixteen, and she lives in southern California. She's really pretty… she's got long blonde hair, she's pretty tall, and she really wants this deal," I told my mom, choosing my words carefully.

          "You seem to be very fond of her," my mom noted. "Do you like her?"

          "No," I replied, a bit too abruptly for my taste. "I mean… she's my—like, she's like a sister to me." Dang. I needed sleep.

          "Oh."

          "So… when will you know if she can come out here and talk to you guys?" I asked eagerly. 

          "If I submit this to my boss… maybe in a week."

          "Okay." I yawned. "Mom… I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions earlier."

          Mom waved her hand. "Don't worry… it was a compromising position." She smiled wearily. "It's good to have you back. I missed you." She ruffled my hair like she used to when I was little, and I smiled sheepishly. "Mooom."

          "Sorry. Did you have fun?"

          "Yeah. I probably had the best experience of my life. Thank you for sending me there."

          "Aaron, it was for you. I just pitched in a bit."

          "Still, Mom… I have you to thank. But I have to get going, or else I'm going to fall asleep here."

          We both laughed. "Then good night, Aaron. I'll talk to you in the morning?"

          "Sure thing." I kissed my mom good night and walked to my room. I had a _lot to write about to Hope when I woke up._

-POV: Hope-

          I sighed as Aaron left. This was not going well… Mom and Kendall's dad. I shook my head. Then I vaguely remember reading in one of my dad's novels about a girl named Kari—that would be my mom—and how this guy always liked her, and acted as if my mom was "his girl" and all this other stuff… and he used to call my dad T.S. or T.E. or something, anything other than his real name. _But what was his name? I wondered. I started searching through the computer to see if I could find anything in one of my dad's stories. I looked into the folder that my dad keeps all his writing files, and I clicked on one in general. But it wasn't what I was expecting._

          It started out very simply, with this dedication:

_To Kari_

          I looked at the date that my dad had started this on—he always dates his files—and realized that he had started on this story when I was up at camp. In fact, it was dated July twenty-first—my birthday. Curiously, I scrolled down to the end, which was about at least seventy-five pages from the top.

          _Let me tell you, it doesn't feel the same anymore. Yes, I have our daughter, but she's grown up without a mother, one that she deserves to know. And isn't it true that you can't have hope without light? That's what it feels like for me… a world without hope, because there is no light. The love in my heart that I have for my Light will never fade, even after all this time._

          I leaned back, intrigued. So, my dad still was in love with my mom. He had to be… I once found a box in which he kept all the stuff that they shared—wedding pictures, old photo albums, and some other things. He also kept letters that they exchanged when they were dating. There was still hope for them.

          "Hope? You should be resting now," my dad called. And from the sound of it, he was in pretty close proximity. Hurriedly, I shoved a disk into the drive and anxiously waited as it s l o w l y saved. Just as the light had turned off in the disk drive and the document had been closed, my dad walked in. "Hi."

          "Hi, Daddy," I greeted him. "Can I ask you something?"

          "Anything," he replied, sitting on the couch behind me.

          "You know that one series of stories you wrote that were based on your adventures in the Digital World?" I began.

          He nodded. "Yeah?"

          "Who was that one guy who always called you T.P. or T.A. or whatever?"

          Dad got a distant look in his eyes, as if he was remembering some good times. "Oh, that was Davis. He didn't like me because—" He stopped abruptly, and I knew why; he was remembering my mom.

          "He didn't like me because he thought I liked that this girl that he liked and that she liked me," he finally said. "Oh, those were some good times. I wonder what ever happened to him…"

-POV: the all-knowing narrator (me!)-

          The next morning, Aaron rose at ten-thirty… quite a late hour for him, but he figured since he was up since past midnight, it was well deserved. He went out to the kitchen and got some stuff out of the fridge, and found a note on the table.

_Aaron,_

_          I probably won't be home until late tonight, so I hope you can find something productive to do. I'm bringing your friend's demo today, and if all goes well, we can have her here in about a week, more or less. I'm hoping she can come… she's got a lot of talent. I'm also probably going to need a picture of her, too, so if you can give me one, that'd be great. I'll talk to you as soon as I get home. Take care._

_Love, Mom_

          "Hmm… pictures would be a good thing," Aaron thought, as he bit into a croissant. He took his plate of food and went to his computer, where there was an e-mail waiting for him.

From: CaliGurlHope06@aol.com

To: the_write_stuff@hotmail.com

Subject: i hit the jackpot!!!!

aaron!!!! you will not believe what i found last night! i was browsing through my dad's files to see if i could find something on kendall's dad ('cause i forgot his name) and i found this one file, and dad dedicated it to mom. it looks like a new story. as i read through it, i realized it was the story of how they came to be together, and what happened when they got divorced and everything. but aaron, OMG, the last few lines of the story… dad still loves mom, even after all these years! can you believe it? if only she felt the same way… *sigh* anyway, so what happened with all that crazy business? are mom and kendall's dad together or what? let me know! (sorry i just couldn't wait to e-mail you, i was so excited when i found that document thing.) i'll try to talk to you soon, okay? write me back!

love always,

hope =D

~*without light there is no hope, and without hope there is no light*~

          Aaron's eyes widened as he read the e-mail. This was perfect! All he needed to do was his mom's go-ahead to get them here to NYC, and the sparks would fly. Aaron smiled, then replied to Hope's e-mail.

From: the_write_stuff@hotmail.com

To: CaliGurlHope06@aol.com

Subject: good news!

Hello Hope!

Don't worry, the Mom + Kendall's dad thing was just a false alarm. Mom doesn't like him like that at all… but he apparently does. So all is well. And—guess what? Mom is bringing in your demo today, so she'll probably be ready to see you by the end of the week. So make plans! I can't wait to see you (and Dad, don't forget about him). She said your song made her think about memories that she hadn't thought about in a while. Hmm… that's interesting. Anyways, I gotta go. I have to finish eating and find that picture that I took of you, so I can give it to Mom so she can give it to her boss. (Don't worry, I'll give them a good one.) I'll e-mail you when I know when you can come in. Take care, little sister!

--Aaron

p.s.: If you can, can you send me the file with that story on it? I'd like to read it. Thanks!

          Aaron sent the e-mail and then started rummaging around in his stuff for his film that he had taken at camp. Aaron was a budding photographer—much to the happiness of his mother, who shared his love for photography—and the Kamiyas had set up a darkroom in one of the rooms of their apartment. He took the film out from the canister and proceeded to develop the film, hoping he could find some good pictures.

-Later-

          As the pictures dried, Aaron walked carefully out of the darkroom, trying to let in as little light as possible. He closed the door and went to the phone, dialing a number left on his cell phone. Aaron was trying to reach someone, but had no idea if this was even the right number. But as luck would have it…

          "Moshi-moshi, this is Kendall speaking!" a voice chirped happily on the other side. Aaron smiled.

          "Kendall? Hey, it's Aaron, you know, from camp?"

          "Aaron? Hey! What's up? To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

          "I was wondering… do you want to go out and do something today? I have nothing to do all day, and no one to hang out with."

          "Sure! I'd love to go around and see New York anyway," Kendall agreed.

          "Cool. So what do you say we meet at noon?"

          "Okay! Where?"

          Aaron sighed. "I don't know. Do you want me to come and pick you up? I mean you probably don't know your way around too well, huh?"

          "Yeah, I don't. But I can ask my dad to drop me off somewhere."

          "Okay. Tell him to take you back to my place, okay? Or you can just ring the buzzer and wait for me, and I'll meet you down there."

          "Okay, cool. Hold on." I heard muffled talking and guessed that Kendall was asking her dad. "My dad says it's all right. So I'll meet you in the lobby of your building at noon?"

          "Yeah. Is that okay?"

          "Yeah! I'll see you then!"

          "Okay, cool. Later!"

          "Bye, Aaron!" With that, she hung up the phone. Aaron smiled. This was going to be fun. 

They're almost on their way to meeting! YAY! No more Daikari! YAY! YAY! =D T.K. is still in love with Kari! YAY! YAY! YAY! hehe… you know the drill… review, or else you won't know what happens next! (And updates may not be as frequent from now on… I am SO busy right now it's not even funny.)


	6. Revelation, part 1: Kari Adventures in ...

***Sorry, guys, but writer's block + not enough time to write = longer time in between posts. I'll try to put the next chapter up faster, but I can't promise anything! And please review! Get me up to 50 before the story's over! hee hee… =D***

Only **one of you answered my poll? That's not nice. chloe-laroo, sorry, but I had to let Kari know first, because the story flowed better that way. So yeah… anyways, answering a few more reviews…**

_TheAngelofLove__ – Kuroi: You're right, they would make a cute couple. Taking that into account… I think you're gonna like this chapter. *wink*_

You know what was really funny? I was going over my reviews the other day and my younger brother (who got me into Digimon in the first place) was looking at them too, and he was all, "WHAT? A Daikari? How could you?" And I was like, "huh?" And he was all, "It says there that you made it a Daikari!" And he got all upset 'cause he and I agree that Takari is the best. =D So we have another Takari supporter on our side. yay.

Before I forget… I really do hate these, they're very annoying.

**Disclaimer**: *sigh* Do I really have to tell you? I'm borrowing these people. Leave me alone.

Together Again: Chapter 5

Revelation, part 1: Kari / Adventures in New York City

          Aaron and Kendall had a blast going sightseeing that day. They hit all the hotspots: the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the whole deal. After winding down at a cozy little Starbucks tucked in between two bustling buildings, Kendall smiled as she sipped her caramel Frappuchino. "Thank you so much for taking me around, Aaron."

          Aaron flushed slightly. "It was fun. I needed to get out the house anyway."

          "Still… it was really nice of you to do this for me."

          "Well, it was extra fun 'cause you were with me," Aaron replied seriously, making Kendall's face blossom into a smile. They took the subway back to the noodle store, where Aaron dropped Kendall off, and she pushed a slip of paper into his hand. "Keep in touch, okay? I may not be here for long."

          "That's too bad. But if you ever need to do anything fun—let me know."

          "I will. Thank you again… I had a great time." Kendall leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek before she disappeared into her father's store. "Bye, Aaron," she called from inside.

          "Bye, Kendall," he replied, before walking away, absentmindedly brushing the place on his cheek where she had kissed him.

          As Aaron stepped into the lobby of his apartment complex, Kari had just emerged from the garage, and the two of them met. "Hi, Mom," Aaron greeted her.

          "Oh, hi, Aaron," Kari replied. "How was your day?"

          "It was fun," Aaron told her. "What about you? Did you get Hope's demo in?"

          Kari turned to Aaron curiously as they waited for the elevator to take them to the fifth floor. "Hope? Is that her name?"

          Aaron nodded. "That's her name."

          "What does she look like?"

          "I'll show you a picture as soon as we get into the apartment," Aaron promised. They chatted about other things until Aaron burst into the apartment and made a run for the darkroom. Sure enough, his photos were dry, and he grabbed the one of Hope that he had taken on their birthday, and walked back at a dignified pace to his mother. "Mom, this is Hope," Aaron showed her.

-POV: Kari-

          I studied the picture that Aaron handed me. A girl, who looked older than sixteen, smiled at me through the picture, that smile looking suspiciously like T.K.'s. Her straight blonde hair fell in soft waves that framed her face. Then I looked at her deep chocolate brown eyes and saw myself in them. I was amazed. If this was the singer that sang O_nly Hope, and she looked a lot like T.K. ...and me… _

          "Aaron, how… this girl, she looks almost like…"

          "Who does she look like?" Aaron prodded.

          I shook my head, as if to physically clear my thoughts. "What's her full name? We need it for the documents."

          Aaron took a deep breath and warned me, "Mom, sit down. This may shock you."

          I felt myself go pale as I complied, setting the picture on the coffee table in front of me. I was getting more and more convinced by the minute that I knew who this girl was…

          "Okay. Her name," Aaron began, slowly, "is Hope Takaishi." 

          I sighed as I leaned back against the couch. "I knew it."

          "Mom, how come you never told me I had a sister? She is such an awesome person—I can't believe that I missed out on the chance to grow up with her," Aaron cried, after a brief moment of silence.

          "I…" I couldn't say anything… I was still in shock. Aaron had found his sister, and was bringing her to see me… then something clicked. "Wait, that's why you want Hope to come here so badly… 'cause she's gonna bring T.K. with her, right?"

          "Well… yeah… but that's not what I asked you, Mom."

          "I know. Just… just let me breathe first, this is still a shock to me." Aaron nodded, and I picked up the picture and looked at it again. "She's so beautiful… she's all grown up." Tears misted my vision as I looked up at Aaron, my motherly instincts kicking in. "How is she doing, Aaron?"

          "She's perfectly fine… well-adjusted, independent, but sometimes a bit spoiled."

          I laughed softly. "T.K. must still be spoiling her." Then I narrowed my eyebrows. "Aaron, how did you find her? T.K. and I made sure that… that we wouldn't have to get in contact with each other," I finished softly.

          "Like I said, Mom, we met up at camp. There were a lot of other… Digidestined, is it?—kids up there, and Dawn Izumi, one of the counselors, showed us this really old picture of all of the Digidestined, and we figured out that most of our parents were in that picture. Including you and Da—I mean, T.K., and I was in that picture too."

          Trying to remember what picture Aaron was talking about, I furrowed my eyebrows again. Then I remembered. "It was the one that they took the day you were born, huh?"

          Aaron nodded. "You know, Mom, you and Dad… I mean…"

          I smiled. "It's okay. He is your father. You can call him that."

          He breathed a visible sigh of relief. "As I was saying, you and Dad looked pretty happy in that picture. You were so into each other you weren't even looking at the camera. So why are we living like we are right now, instead of being one big happy family?"

          "That's a long story, Aaron. It was something really stupid, like work taking over our lives. I found an awesome job out here as a talent scout, T.K. found a great place to write, out on the West Coast, and we were really young. I loved your father very much, and it hurt me a lot when we got the divorce. I figured it would be easier to live if I didn't have to see him, and I guess he thought the same way, so that's why we live on opposite coasts. We also thought it wouldn't be fair if one of us was all by ourselves and the other had two children… so we split you guys up. You are with me 'cause… well… you remind me a lot of your father. And your name is very dear to me."

          Aaron smiled. "Now I understand why you named me like you did. It was your crest, right?"

          I nodded. "You said your counselor's name was Dawn? Is she Izzy's daughter?"

          "Yeah. She said she was adopted, 'cause she's older than all the rest of us."

          "Really." I was intrigued; I hadn't kept in touch with most of the Digidestined, save for my brother and Sora, and was very interested to hear how they were doing.

          "Yeah. Mari and Karina were up there too."

          I smiled. "They must be all grown up now! I haven't seen them in a while. Maybe I'll go down to D.C. one of these days and visit them."

          "Yeah, they are. They were really excited to see me. Oh, and Hope roomed with Mari, so she's met her cousins."

          "That's great." The more Aaron talked about Hope, the more I started to regret what I had done years ago. _T.K. and I could have worked it all out… we had a love stronger than anything. Aaron didn't deserve to grow up without his father and his sister… and how could I just leave Hope like that? I didn't know I had started to cry again until I felt a tear falling down my cheek._

          "Mom? Are you okay?"

          I nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking about how wrong some of the decisions I've made were." I looked over at my son and asked, "When is Hope coming? Is T.K. coming with her?"

          "I'm just waiting for you to tell me when you need to talk to Hope. And yes, T.K. is coming with her."

          "Good. I have a few things I need to talk to him about," I decided. But inside, I was melting. I hadn't seen my ex-husband in years, but I had always missed him… he was my one and only love of my life, and you can't easily forget about those things.

          "Tell Hope she can book her tickets as soon as she wants to, but she has to get here by Friday," I told Aaron. "My boss loves her already."

          Aaron beamed. "Okay." He came over and gave me a hug. "Thank you, Mom."

          "No," I whispered in his ear. "Thank you. You made me realize things that I should have realized a long time ago."

-POV: T.K.-

          "Hello?"

          As the person on the other end jabbered away, I sighed wearily… it looked like I was going to have to leave. "So you're saying that he can't come out here?"

          I sighed and nodded wearily. "Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do. Remember, I do have a sixteen year old to think about here. I'll be in touch." I hung up the phone and sat down. I was going to have to go to New York City to meet with my publisher, since he couldn't come out here this weekend because of an emergency. I didn't want to leave Hope here alone, though. Sure, she's sixteen and able to take care of herself, but I mean… things can happen.

          "Daddy?" Hope stuck her head into my room. "Can I come in?"

          "Sure, honey." She walked into the room and sat in the computer chair. "I need to talk to you anyway."

          "About what?"

          "I have to go to New York City this weekend… I'm meeting my publisher there. But I don't want to leave you here. Are you okay with coming with me?"

          Hope let out a squeal. "Oh, my God, I'd love to go to New York City!"

          I smiled. "So I'm taking that as a yes?"

          She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. When do we leave?"

          "We'll probably leave on Thursday afternoon, and get there Thursday night/Friday morning," I explained. "I don't know yet. But I'll book the tickets right now." Hope sat there, smiling, and I asked, "Hope, can I use the computer?"

          "What? Oh, yeah. Of course." We switched spots and while I typed away, trying to get airline tickets, Hope asked me suddenly, "Dad, what would you think of me becoming a recording artist with a contract?"

          I stopped and turned around. "Well, when? Like, at the present moment, a few years from now… give me some specifics."

          "What if I told you (_AN: *it was all meant to be… would you believe me… would you agree?* LOL sorry, I'm in a Kelly Clarkson mood at the moment… I'll return you back to your regularly scheduled program now) I had a meeting with a record label in a few days and they might want to sign me?"_

          My eyes widened, and I'm sure my jaw was in some unattractive position, as it was wide open. "Hope, you can't be serious."

          "I am. Remember the time I was recording up at camp? You didn't think I was just in there for fun, did you?"

          "I… I don't know," I said softly. I knew my daughter was gifted with a wonderful voice—probably from her uncle Matt more than anyone else—and that she had the capacity to go far… I just didn't know if I wanted her to. I wouldn't want her to be on tour somewhere in Europe or something while I was stuck here by myself, writing, in this big lonely house. I wouldn't want to follow her, either—a sixteen year old doesn't need to be tended to 24/7. A sudden random thought then crossed my mind… _Takaishi_, you wouldn't be so lonely if you hadn't let Kari go._ I furrowed my eyebrows at the sudden internal outburst of feeling, but Hope interrupted my thoughts.  
          "Dad?"_

          I looked at her. "Yeah?"

          "I don't know exactly when I'm going to be able to meet with the label, but it is going to be in the timespan of this weekend, and the meeting is somewhere in a big building in New York City."

          I was still amazed at how she had done this. "But Hope… how did you pull it off?"

          She smiled. "Remember that friend I told you about, the one that set up my session in the studio?"

          I nodded, vaguely recalling something about a birthday gift… or something.

          "His mom is a talent scout for Stratus Records, and he brought a copy of my recording home with him so that she could hear it. I'm waiting to hear from him to see when my meeting is, but he's assured me that I'll be meeting with them sometime soon."

          "Are you sure?"

          "Positive." I nodded. "Okay, then. Let me book these tickets, and the moment you find out, let me know." This was still surreal to me… my daughter, a popstar? What a strange thought. But then again… if I can live with my brother being one, then I can live with Hope being one… right?

-POV: Hope-

          _Ding!_

          "Attention, all passengers: we are now beginning our final descent towards JFK. Please fasten your seatbelts, stow your trays, and return your seats to the upright position. Thank you… we will be with you shortly."

          I stirred from my restless sleep. Next to me, my dad was listlessly sitting with his eyes closed, and I poked him. "Dad. We're almost there."

          He opened his eyes sleepily and mumbled, "We are?"

          "Yes! Didn't you hear the announcement? We'll be there soon!"

          I couldn't help being so excited… not only was I going to New York for the first time, faced with the prospect of a record deal, but I was going to see Aaron again! And the best part of it all is… Mom and Dad were going to meet, finally.

          My head was glued to the window as we landed. I could see the Statue of Liberty from where we were flying, and the many different little islands that made up NYC. Beside me, my dad was gripping the seatrests tightly—he's not fond of flying. 

          Finally, we got off the plane, got our stuff, and proceeded to go to our hotel. My dad's publisher was putting us up in a nice hotel, since he made us come out here… my dad was grateful for that. As we went out to the curb, I had the urge to do something I'd always seen done in movies and TV shows, but never had the chance to do… I stepped out into the street, ignoring my dad yelling, "Hope! What are you doing?" and raised my hand straight up. I smiled as a taxi approached us. I turned to my dad and gestured for him to come with me. With a part angry, part surprised, and part impressed look, he came with our stuff and we got into the taxi.

          "So, where to?" the driver asked, in a very thick New Yawka accent.

          Dad told him the name of our hotel, and we held on as he took us there. Let me tell you… I have been on many a roller coaster in my lifetime, but nothing compares to a ride in a New York City taxi. I swear, by the time we got to our hotel, my dad was pale, and I was dizzy. We handed over the amount on the meter—plus a good extra dollar fifty, just so he wouldn't complain—and went into the hotel. When we got into our room, there were already two messages for us—one for Dad, who was to meet his publisher at a certain restaurant, and one for me, which told me I was supposed to meet someone at a certain restaurant. Dad and I compared notes and we realized that we were going to the same place, so we unpacked a bit, got our stuff ready and hopped the subway to the noodle shop.

          "Hope," Dad queried, as we got off the subway, "who are you supposed to meet at the restaurant?"

          I shrugged. "Beats me. It could be the talent scout of that record company, or my friend Aaron… or both."

          "Aaron?"

          "Yeah… he's the friend that I met up at camp."

          "Oh." We went up the stairs and were immediately surrounded by the bustle and the energy of the city. I smiled. I liked it already. We walked briskly (like we had a choice) to the noodle shop, which was on the same block as we were walking, and when we found it, we walked in. No one was in there… except for a girl that looked vaguely familiar.

          "Hello, may I help you?" she asked.

          "Kendall?" I asked her, in surprise. She looked like Kendall… but not quite…

          The girl smiled. "Not quite. I'm Kristen. Kendall's my twin."

          "Ohh." I then remembered Kendall saying something about having a twin. "Hi! I'm Hope Takaishi. I met Kendall up at camp."

          "That's cool," Kristen replied. Then she looked at the door. "Oh, here she comes now."

          Sure enough, I recognized the bouncy red curls belonging to the girl walking in the door as Kendall's. And even better—and weirder—was that Aaron was with her. Ooh… I snickered to myself about that. I wasn't going to let Aaron live that down, no way.

          "Hey, Kristen, is there anyone here yet? Aaron and I are kind of expecting someone…" Kendall trailed off and saw my dad and me standing there, and she flew to me. "Hope! Oh, my gosh, I missed you!"

          "I missed you too, Kendall," I told her, hugging her tightly. Aaron walked up behind her and gave me a huge hug. "Hope, I'm so happy you're here. We have so much to talk about."

          I nodded. "Yeah. Oh, Daddy… these are my friends Kendall Motomiya, her twin Kristen, and this is—"

          "Aaron," my brother finished for me, not wanting to reveal our "surprise" just yet.

-POV: T.K.-

          I stood there, facing Hope and her friends, and carefully scrutinized Aaron. Strangely enough, he looked almost like me when I was his age… which I guessed to be about seventeen or eighteen—especially in his eyes. His hair was just as messy as mine, Matt's, and Tai's, but he only shared the same color as Tai. He brought something out of the back of my mind… but before I could comment on it, I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Mr. Takaishi?"

          I turned. Daniel, my publisher, stood there. "Daniel, hi."

          "I'm glad you could make it. Sit, we have some things we have to discuss."

          I nodded, shoving this nagging feeling that I knew Aaron into the back of my mind.

So… T.K. suspects something, huh? How will he find out about his connection to Aaron? Will Davis's noodles kill everyone? (I hope not) And will T.K and Kari FINALLY meet? hee hee… you'll just have to find out during the next chapter. 

See the button? It's there for a reason. Click on it! It can do wonders for you.


	7. Revelation, part 2: TK The Meeting

**Happy Halloween, everyone!**

Thank you to all my reviewers. I'd just like to tell you that each and every one of your reviews is greatly appreciated. =D

_Disclaimer: No, they're not mine. How many times do I have to tell you that?_

Together Again: Chapter 6

Revelation, part 2: T.K. / The Meeting

-POV: 3rd person-

          As T.K. and his publisher sat down at one table, Hope and Aaron sat at another. Kendall attempted to sit down with them, but Kristen pulled her away, complaining that Kendall never did any work. So it was just the two of them at the moment.

          "Hope, when did you get here?"

          "Like, an hour and a half ago," Hope replied. "I'm kinda tired, but I had to come with Dad here. So this is Kendall's dad's noodle shop. Pretty nifty," Hope noticed, looking around.

          "Yeah," Aaron agreed.

          "So…" Hope leaned across the table. "What's up with you and Kendall, big bro? Did you ask her out yet?"

          "No!" Aaron exclaimed, a bit too loudly. "We're just friends, that's all."

          Hope raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Riiight. And I'm the Queen of England."

          "You know, that may not be as far fetched as you think," Aaron commented.

          "What?"

          "Never mind. Anyways… so maybe I think she's cute—well, not just _cute—and funny, and smart, and witty… but that doesn't mean I like her like that."_

          "Yeah it does. But on to more important things. Does Mom know I'm here? Not that I'm here, but that I as in her daughter am here?

          Aaron nodded. "Yeah. I told her a few days ago."

          "And?" Hope asked in anticipation.

          "She got all teary eyed when I talked about you, I think she misses you. And she said she had to talk to Dad about stuff… so hopefully all goes well."

          Hope smiled, tears forming in her own eyes. "I can't wait to meet her. I've been waiting for it for a long time now. How do you think we should do it?"

          "How about I set up an 'appointment' for you and Mom to go over the terms of your contract, and you bring Dad with you, and we can go to our apartment? Sound good?"

          Hope nodded decisively. "Sounds good."

-POV: T.K.-

          As soon as we had gotten back to the hotel room, Hope had a call on her cell phone. I watched her as she picked up and conversed with the person on the other end. I hoped it wasn't someone from California… the prices on that bill would be enormous.

          "What? You want us to go there now? Oh… oh… okay. Okay. I'll talk to you in a few." She hung up and turned to me. "Dad? Do you mind meeting my friend Aaron's mom with me? We're going over the contract that they have for me."

          "They have a contract for you?"

          "Yeah. I'm actually supposed to tell them if I want it or not when I meet with all the big wigs. But for now, Aaron's mom is going to run me through it."

          "Okay, I guess," I replied. "I'll just bring along a notebook or something."

          She nodded. "Let's go. Aaron's going to meet us at the subway station."

          Sure enough, Aaron was waiting for us when we got to the station. The uncanny resemblance between my eighteen year old self and him was unsettling. As he spoke to Hope, I learned a lot about him… and he reminded me more and more of myself.

          "My mom tried to get you a really good contract," Aaron was telling Hope, "but she said she can't promise anything."

          "That's okay. I'm just really excited being considered for getting one." Then she smiled—not a real smile, but a smile that I had seen many times before, when Hope had an agenda—and asked Aaron, "So… when are you going to see Kendall again?"

          "Will you stop with that? Geez, you're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

          "Aaron, that's what little—" Hope had begun to say, but I cut in—accidentally—by asking, "You know those twins? Are they Davis's daughters?"

          "Yeah," Hope answered. "It's a good thing that Aaron's mom and Davis aren't together like we thought they were, 'cause if they got married, Aaron and Kendall would be stepsiblings." She made a face, I laughed at the face, but was internally perturbed—why, I don't know—by her comment about Davis, and Aaron blushed a deep scarlet. He just shook his head and tried to ignore Hope the rest of the way to Aaron's apartment.

          As we walked through the hallways of Aaron's apartment building, I looked around in amazement. There was something really familiar about this place… but I couldn't put my finger on it. As Aaron announced that we were at his door, I saw him pull out his keys, and recognized a familiar symbol glinting on one of his keychains. _He has my crest… he looks like me… could it be true? Before I could recover from the shock that this could be my son, Aaron opened the door and called for his mother. She appeared from around the corner, and instantly, our eyes locked. In that one moment, I knew it was true, all of it… but how could this have happened? Kari and I arranged it so that we wouldn't have to see each other… and then I thought of Hope. I attempted to direct my eyes to her, but Kari's eyes wouldn't let me. It had been years, but she was still beautiful: her hair was now shoulder-length, and she looked a bit weary, but her eyes, and her smile, were bright as ever. And then… she spoke. _

          "Hello, T.K."

          I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I cleared my throat and then attempted again. "Kari, hi. It's been too long."

          She nodded in agreement. "Come on in. Apparently, your daughter—well, our daughter and I have things to discuss."

          I turned to Hope, who was currently conferring with Aaron, and exclaimed, "You knew the whole time, didn't you?"

          She looked up at me, her mother's innocence apparent in her eyes, and simply nodded. "If I told you, you might not have agreed, and that would have ruined everything," she said quietly, before sitting down at the table, across from Kari.

          I watched with peaked interest as the two of them sat down to discuss Hope's contract. For a moment, they sat and looked at each other, trying to make up for so many years lost. Kari was the first to speak. "Hello, Hope. I'm Ms. Kamiya, as you know—"

          "You're my mother. You don't have to be formal with me," Hope said warmly, standing up and going over to the other side of the table. She motioned for Kari to stand up and when she did, Hope wrapped her mother in a big embrace. "I forgot to do this when we came in."

          Kari hugged Hope back, tears forming in both of their eyes. (I think Hope gets her sentimentality from her mom.) "Oh, Hope… it's been so long…"

          "I know," she whispered, in between sniffles. Seeing this scene brought so many emotions to me—regret, that I had kept Hope from her mother for so long… hurt, that Kari had reverted back to her maiden name… a bit of a warm and fuzzy feeling at the sight of the reunion… and uneasiness. Hope and Kari may have welcomed each other, but would it be that easy for Aaron and me? I hadn't even fully recovered from the shock of finding this all out—only a few short minutes had elapsed.

          I glanced over at Aaron. I think he was trying to avoid me, because when he saw me look at him, he looked away. I sighed. I was going to have to work on this. 

-Later-

          "Now that that's settled… what do you suppose we do now?" Kari asked.

          "Hmm?" I looked up and realized that the negotiations were done. I had been totally lost in my writing to notice. "Well, I want to see what you guys agreed on before we okay this thing."

          "Okay." Kari handed me the contract and I took it from her. For a brief moment, our hands touched, and the small but profound feeling that I had always felt whenever our hands made contact returned. I looked up at her for a moment and saw something in her eyes… something I hadn't noticed yet. But in an instant, the moment passed, and I began to look over this contract that I held in my hands. "Thank you," I said softly.

          "No problem," she replied, equally as soft.

-POV: Kari-

          I looked at my children—finally together again—and recognized the blank faces as they sat down. They were bored, and needed something to do. So I decided to give them an assignment, so that T.K. and I could have some time to work things out. "Hey, guys, I need you to run this down to my office."

          "Now?" Aaron asked, checking his watch. "Well… I guess we could, if we left now. Hope, do you want to come, just so that you don't get lost when we go there tomorrow?"

          "Sure," Hope replied, jumping to her feet. "We'll be back soon," she assured us as they went out the door and left. Now it was just the two of us. The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. I sat in one of the dining room chairs and T.K. retained his position on the couch. He spoke first.

          "Kari, I… I had no idea what Hope was up to. If I had known, I wouldn't have come…"

          "T.K., it's all right. At least one of us knew what was going on."

          "You knew, too? Geez, what is this—conspire against T.K. day or something?" he burst out. I had to laugh. Even after all these years, T.K. was just as adorable as he was when he was fourteen.

          "I'm sorry," I said after a moment of laughter. But it had loosened us up… T.K was smiling, leaning back comfortably against the sofa. I stood and moved my chair closer to him. "It was inevitable that they would meet sooner or later. We couldn't keep them apart forever."

          "I know, I know." T.K. exhaled and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair, the hair that I had to resist running my own hands through like I used to. "Tell me, Kari, how do you like this situation?"

          I hesitated for a moment. "You mean… the way things are now? Our children separated?"

          He nodded. 

          "Well, now that Aaron and Hope know each other, I don't think it's fair to keep them apart," I began slowly.

          T.K. nodded in agreement. "That's what I think. But how are we going to do that—are we going to send them with me for half the year, and then to you, or every two months, or what? This can serve to be very complicated."

          "I know." I looked down, hoping to muster up some courage. Finally, I looked back up, right into those crystal azure eyes, and asked, "T.K., what happened?"

          Knowing exactly what I was getting to without having to spell it out, his eyes got a look of regret and sadness, which I'm sure mirrored my own, and he answered me softly. "I don't know. We were young, we had lots of responsibilities, and I guess… we let busyness take over our lives… and our love." He continued to look at me, and I got a chill down my spine; then I realized what he was doing. He'd done it plenty of times before—he was looking straight into my soul. There were only two people in this world that could do that: my son, and his father. I couldn't hide anything from T.K., not even if I tried. So when I saw that brilliant smile spread upon his face, I knew he knew. I had never let go of our love, not in these last twelve years. 

          Blinking, I severed the connection through our eyes, and I stood up. "Kari, where are you going?" T.K. asked, almost in despair.

          I smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'll be right back."

-POV: T.K.-

          As Kari went to do whatever she was going to do, I put my hands behind my head and sighed. I knew that our love for each other was still there, but… time had done a lot to us. This disrupted our way of life, and I didn't want to rush into anything, but at the same time, I had missed my ex-wife so much. I prayed for a second chance. That's all I really needed at the moment—a second chance. Maybe then I'd learn to prioritize. But then… writer's block had been hitting me a lot lately. Maybe I didn't need to prioritize at all.

          "Okay, T.K., I want you to do something for me," Kari said as she reemerged into the living room.

          "Yes?" I asked expectantly.

          "Close your eyes."

          "Oookay," I said slowly, doing as she instructed. I heard a bit of shuffling, and then the sounds of a beautiful song filled the air. My heartbeat quickened as I realized what song this was.

*Flashback*

          _I stood on the doorstep of the Kamiya household nervously; I adjusted my tie for the seventeenth time that night. I tapped my foot impatiently. "What's taking them so long?"_

_          Suddenly, the door was thrown open and there stood Tai. I gulped involuntarily; Tai had always been a good friend and respected leader, but now he was playing the part of overprotective big brother, and I didn't know what to expect. "Hey, T.K. Come on in."_

_          I stepped inside, ever so nervously, and planted my feet at that spot. Tai smiled at me reassuringly. "T.K., come on now. Don't be so nervous. You've known Kari for practically your whole life, and if there was one person I could choose to be with her, it'd be you. But you know, if anything should happen to her, if you should break her heart… you know who you're gonna answer to."_

_          I nodded quickly. "I know, Tai. It's just… gosh, I just hope she likes tonight."_

_          "That's up to you, kiddo," Tai advised me. "Make it the best that you can make it." He went over to the stairs and yelled, "Kari! T.K's waiting for you!"_

_          A faint "I'm coming!" could be heard from the upstairs, and my heart began to race. And in the next few moments, she appeared before me: a vision of iridescent pink, her hair up in a simple ponytail with a few strands framing her face, and a dazzling smile to complete the look. I gasped. "Kari… you look beautiful."_

_          She smiled shyly. "Thanks."_

_          I took the flower that I was holding behind my back and offered it to her. "For you."_

_          "Oh, T.K…." She took the single pink rose and lifted it to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent. "Thank you."_

_          "So, T.K., when do you expect to be back?" Tai grilled. And so it began._

_          After dodging all the questions Tai had thrown at us, Kari and I set off… out to our first dance, and our first date._

_          That night, after lots of mingling and dancing, we were taking a break from everyone and just having some "us" time. We sat down on a bench just outside and I took Kari's hand into mine, lacing our fingers together. She smiled. "I kinda like the way that feels," she said._

_          "Then I'll make sure I do this all the time." I smiled back at her, and lifted our hands to my heart. "I'll keep it close to here."_

_          Kari jumped a bit, and I looked at her in concern, but she shook her head. "It's nothing. I just… I can feel your heart beating."_

_          "Oh." Relief washed over me. "It's a nice feeling," Kari commented. I looked at her, looked into her deep scarlet-brown eyes, and felt this feeling come over me… one that I had never experienced before. "You know what, Kari?"_

_          "What?"_

_          "You're very special to me. I'm so lucky to be here with you right now." _

_          Kari said nothing, only leaned in closer to me and rested her head on my chest. "I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now," she whispered, as I held her closely. Just then, a slow song started, and Kari gasped. "Okay, just kidding," she said, as she got back up and pulled me with her. "How about we dance?"_

_          "Okay, I guess…"_

_          "Come on, T.K., do it for me," she pleaded, looking up at me with those huge doe eyes that she knew I couldn't say no to. "Okay, Kari, you win."_

_          Her bright smile lit up her face and she led me in, as I took her in my arms and we began to sway to the music, slowly getting lost in our own world._

*Real time*

          "T.K, do you know who this is?" Kari asked, shocking me out of my memory.

          I listened for a minute. The voice was familiar, but I couldn't place her. "Not quite," I admitted.

          Kari nodded. "This is Hope."

          My eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

          "Yeah. She's good, isn't she?"

          "Yes, she is. She's always possessed a wonderful singing ability."

          Kari was quiet for a moment, listening to Hope, and then she looked at me. "You did a good job, T.K. Of raising Hope, I mean."

          "Thank you." That really meant a lot to me. "Aaron's turned out pretty well, too."

          "I tried my hardest… but there were times—still are, actually—where I thought I couldn't go on… it was very hard. You know why?"

          "Why?" I asked, although I knew that subconsciously, I knew the answer.

          "Because you weren't there with me," she admitted. "Without hope there is no light…"

          "…and without light there is no hope," I finished for her. She looked in amazement at me, then made her way next to me, sitting down on the sofa, telling me to listen to the words of the song. 

_So I lay my head back down_

_and__ I lift my hands and pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

          "_You are my only hope, T.K.," Kari whispered. "I need you."_

          I tentatively reached out and stroked a lock of her silky hair. "Oh, Kari… you don't know how much I've missed you… how many times I've wished to go back in time and change things…" I pulled her into my embrace and kissed the crown of her head impulsively. And finally, all was right with the world… my Light was here in my arms, right where she belonged. I could feel her tense up, as if it was unexpected, but she soon loosened up and relaxed, lying comfortably in my lap. She smiled up at me. "I've missed you, T.K. More than you can ever imagine."

          "I know." I stroked her hair again, and some magical force suddenly was set in place, making me move closer to her. My lips were right about to brush hers when suddenly, simultaneously, both my phone and the buzzer rang, and we jumped. Kari rushed to get the door while I picked up my phone… and I sighed. "Hi, Daniel. No… I don't know… I'm really tired. How about tomorrow? Okay… okay. I'll see you then. Okay, bye." I hung up, sighing wearily, jet lag and fatigue setting in. Kari turned to me and said, "Hope and Aaron are on their way up."

          I nodded. "I should really get going… I bet Hope and I are going to be really jet-lagged if we don't get some sleep sooner or later."

          Kari nodded. "Okay. I'm going to see Hope tomorrow when we meet with my boss… will I see you tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

          "I… I don't know. I have a meeting with my publisher… but I'll try and see what I can do."

          "Oh. Okay," she replied, a hint of disappointment in her voice. The door opened then and Hope bounded in, followed by Aaron. "Hope, we're going to go now."

          "Okay," Hope agreed, gathering her things. "Thank you so much… Mom. I'll see you tomorrow."

          "Okay, Hope," Kari said, smiling as Hope hugged her. "Have a good night."

          "You, too," she replied, as the two of us walked out the door. I turned to say goodbye to Kari and Aaron and held my ex-wife's gaze for a bit. "See you tomorrow, Kari."

          "You too, T.K." She smiled at me before I waved at her, and awkwardly at Aaron, and shut the door behind me.

Yay! They finally meet, Takari action is in place… hee hee. Not too many chapters after this, but it will be a happy ending, let me tell you that. Thank you to all my reviewers. And I know this doesn't seem as realistic as it should be, but come on now, it's my story, leave me alone. (And I was running out of ideas, okay???) So yeah. Let me know what you think! The button wants to be pressed, that's what it lives for! So make my day and the happy little button's day and REVIEW! Thank you. =D


	8. Surprises

You guys! You've just given me the highest number of reviews I've ever had here on ff.net! *hugs to all* The only other story that came close was one called "A Spark of Hope" and even then… it was taken away because it was a "real person" fic. boo. So, I would like to thank you all by giving you this extra-long special chapter! Except… it's the last one. *sniff* I know, I know, that's sad, BUT… there IS a sequel! And it will be ALL Takari! Yay! So yeah. Sorry this took so long. And thanks so much for sticking with me!

Together Again: Chapter 7

Surprises

-a few months later (Christmas time)-

          "So, you'll be flying in when?" Kari Kamiya confirmed with her son.

          "The day after tomorrow, and Hope will be with me," Aaron Kamiya-Takaishi, her son, replied. "She really worked hard for these days off, so you better treasure them."

          "Believe me, I will," Kari agreed. "Well, the best to both of you, and I will see you soon."

          "Okay, Mom," the voice on the other end assured her. "Take care. I love you, and give my best to Dad."

          Kari smiled. "Okay, Aaron. Bye, now."

          She put down the phone and sighed. Kari's life was so different now… and a welcome difference at that. It was a few days before Christmas, and the house that she and T.K. Takaishi, her ex-husband and now steady boyfriend, shared, was happily anticipating the holiday, just as they were. She sat down in her favorite comfy recliner and looked around contentedly, wondering how she could have gotten so lucky, after so many mistakes.

          "Penny for your thoughts?" a voice whispered on her right side, and she turned and opened her eyes in that direction. T.K. was smiling at her, and Kari leaned in and kissed him. "I was just thinking of how lucky I am to be so happy again, after all the things that I did wrong," she explained.

          T.K. sat on the arm of the recliner. "You weren't the only one who did wrong, Kari. It was just as much my fault as it was yours, if not more. So don't keep beating yourself up for it. Besides… we're together again, aren't we?"

          She nodded. "Yeah." Kari leaned her head on T.K.'s shoulder and sighed contentedly, breathing in his scent, and wondering just how Fate knew she needed this. She thought back to how it got to be this way…

*Flashback*

_          "Congratulations, Hope," Michael, Kari's boss, said to her daughter. She had just been signed with Stratus Records, and Kari had never been prouder of her daughter. As Kari hugged Hope, whispering an encouraging "I knew you could do it" into her ear, and proceeded to leave with her, Michael called Kari back. "I have to discuss something with you," he had told her. Kari was concerned, but more curious than anything. _

_          They sat down at the table they had just occupied, and Michael began, "Kari, I've been thinking about starting a new branch of Stratus Records, and I need someone to go start it off for me, and find more fresh talent. Since you've done an excellent job finding new talent—like the young lady we just signed—I want to send you to our new branch."_

_          "Where would it be, sir?" Kari inquired._

_          "I was thinking __Los Angeles__. __Santa Monica__, to be exact.__ There's lots of fresh faces and talent there, especially along the boardwalks of the beach. It wouldn't be long—just a few months—and you'd probably be back just after New Year's."_

_          Kari nodded. "__Santa Monica__… is it a nice place?"_

_          Michael smiled. "Oh, it's wonderful. I think you'll love it. Think about it, Kari, and get back to me as soon as you can. I think it'll be perfect for you."_

_          "Okay, Michael. I will."_

_          Imagine Kari's surprise when she realized that T.K. and Hope lived in __Santa Monica__. Things would work out perfectly—all four of them could go out there and spend time there! But there was one drawback…_

_          "Mom, I'm not going."_

_          This was Aaron. He could be so stubborn sometimes… much like his father._

_          "I can't! School's starting soon, I have so many friends here, and we can't just sell the apartment. Someone's gotta watch it while you're gone. And it's not like you and Dad are still married—you barely reunited yesterday, remember?"_

_          Kari narrowed her eyes at her son. He had just gone out of line. "Aaron, that was uncalled for. And I'm not just about to leave you here by yourself. You—"_

_          "Mom!" Aaron protested. "I'm eighteen years old, and I practically grew up here in __New York__. Why shouldn't I?"_

_          Kari sighed and rubbed her temples. She was starting to feel a headache coming on. "Aaron, just go to your room. We'll discuss this later."_

_          "But—"_

_          "Go," Kari commanded, pointing in the direction of Aaron's room. T.K. watched Kari's commanding authority in action. It was times like these that made him wonder why Kari didn't want to be a teacher like she had before. When Aaron had left, Kari collapsed on the couch. "Why does he have to be so difficult sometimes?" she half asked, half yelled in frustration._

_          "I'll stay," Hope said tentatively. She was sitting in one of the dining room chairs. T.K. and Kari both looked at her in surprise. "Hope? What are you saying?"_

_          "My contract stipulates that I have to stay here for a while anyway, because of all the recording and stuff I have to do. If Aaron doesn't want to go, then I'll stay here with him, and you guys can go back to __Santa Monica__. It works out fine."_

_          "You know, Aaron did have a point when he said he was eighteen and could take care of himself," T.K. pointed out._

_          "I know, I know," Kari conceded. "But… I don't know if I can handle being away from him for so long…"_

_          "And besides, I don't know how comfortable I am leaving Hope here with Aaron. I mean, I trust him and everything… I just don't know how she's gonna handle things here," T.K. said._

_          "Well, listen to this. Why don't we just try it for a few weeks, and if anyone involved doesn't like it, we fix it. It's just really convenient for Mom to go back with you, Dad, and for me to stay here with Aaron. Sure, it may be a bit scary for me, but I'm always up for a good adventure. And I'll probably just be recording anyway." Hope was now standing and facing her parents. "Please, Dad, let me stay. It will give you time to spend with Mom without us kids bothering you," she added, winking._

_          Her parents blushed pink and T.K. had to smile. Hope always had a way of turning a hard situation into a clear one. "Well…" He looked over at Kari. "What do you think?"_

_          "Me?" T.K. nodded. "Do you think she'll be okay here with Aaron?"_

_          "I… I don't know, T.K., you know her better than I do."_

_          T.K. sat back in deep thought. "If it's only for a few months, I think she'll be fine."_

_          Hope beamed. "Thank you!" She ran and hugged her dad, then turned to Kari. "The only reason why Aaron's so upset is because he just found out that __Davis__ is going back to __Japan__ and Kendall and Kristen have to go with him. It's nothing against you, really, Mom."_

_          "Oh." Kari nodded knowingly at Hope's explanation. "I'll keep that in mind when I talk to him." She then embraced her daughter. "Thank you for letting me go with your father. It means a lot."_

_          "Mom… the only thing I really want that I don't have now is for us to be one, big, happy family. This is only a means to an end."_

_          Kari smiled. "Remind me to tell your dad again how well you turned out."_

_          Hope flushed a bit. "Sure."_

*Real time*

-POV: Hope-

          "Come on, Aaron, we're going to be late!"

          Big brothers. They can be SO annoying at times. I learned that the hard way, now that I have one. For instance, the way that they have to make their hair look perfect. I mean, Aaron spends more time in front of the mirror fixing his hair than I do! And I'm the one who's ending up in all the magazines, TV shows, and pictures (not to sound conceited, but it's true).

          "Okay, okay," he grumbled. I shook my head. The only reason he was acting like this was because Kendall left. Aaron's got it bad for her, I know. Too bad they didn't admit their feelings to each other sooner. Kendall's become one of my best friends, and I already knew how she felt about my brother. I had a surprise for him, though, that might make him happy. Now if only he would hurry up… he'd know sooner.

          "Aaron… we only have forty-five minutes until our plane takes off!" I yelled.

          "What?" He shot into the room, attempting to put on his pants in the process. "Really?"

          "No, but at the rate you're moving, it soon will be."

          "Give me five minutes."

          "Fine."

          I paced around the room for about four minutes and thirty seconds, trying to straighten things out. Finally… "Aaron!"

          "Okay, okay, I'm here." Aaron appeared in the hallway, poised with his stuff in his hands. I smiled. "Let's go."

          After a LOOOONG flight, we finally made it to Los Angeles International Airport. Aaron was looking around in awe as we pushed the cart with our luggage aimlessly around. "It's so… sunny here!"

          "I know. Don't you love it?" I was happy to be back home, back where the ocean breezes could tease my hair, where rain is a big deal… I have to admit, I'm a California girl at heart.

          "It's really nice," Aaron agreed. Just then, we saw a familiar face waving at us.

          "Dad!" Aaron and I both yelled, as we ran over to him, cart and everything. A few people gave us some nasty stares because we almost hit them, but hey, when you live in California, you get that on the road all the time. We chatted a mile a minute with Dad as he loaded our stuff up in the trunk and headed towards home.

          As we made the thirty minute trip—with no traffic, miraculously—I kept glancing nervously at the clock. My surprise would be arriving soon, and I didn't want anything going wrong. When we got home, Mom was waiting for us.

          "Aaron, Hope, hi!" she said brightly, as we came in. We both gave her big hugs and smiles. "I've missed you guys. But I have to admit, I love it out here."

          "Isn't it awesome?" I agreed, as Dad gave her a hug from behind. I smiled. It was good to see Mom and Dad together again, the way they should be.

-POV: the all-knowing narrator (me!)-

          As soon as everyone had settled in, Hope called Kari into her room. "Mom, I need to talk to you," she had said.

          Kari stepped into her daughter's room—one she hadn't really spent time in—and looked at her questioningly. "Yes?"

          "I… can you close the door?" she whispered. "It kinda has to do with my Christmas present for Aaron."

          "Okay." Kari slowly shut the door and sat on Hope's bed. "What's up?"

          "Well, Kendall's flying in today from Japan. Apparently she convinced her dad to let her study here instead of there. She's gonna be staying here in California… but Aaron doesn't know she's coming. And I know he'll be really happy to see her."

          Kari smiled. "Hope, you're so thoughtful. Just like your father."

          "Yeah, well… anyway, I need to go get her, 'cause her flight is arriving soon. I just don't want Aaron suspecting anything."

          "Okay, well… we'll think of something."

          After Kari and Hope had left, citing that they needed to go do something "very important," T.K. approached Aaron.

          "Listen, I know that we haven't been as friendly or familiar as your mother and sister have," T.K. began, "but I'd like to change that. I hope that I can start getting to know you a lot better. After all… before this escapade, the last time I saw you was when you were six."

          Aaron nodded. "I know. And don't worry, I don't hold contempt for you like most sons usually would. Although I can't say I always thought that. Anyway… I wanted to show you something, though, Dad."

          T.K. smiled genuinely, at the sound of his son acknowledging him as his father. "Here." T.K. took an airline ticket from Aaron.

          "What's so special about this?" T.K. wondered aloud.

          "Look at my name," Aaron directed. T.K. did so… and then gasped. On the boarding pass, Aaron was known as Mr. Kamiya-Takaishi. "Aaron… that means so much to me." He looked up at his son. "I… I don't know what to say. Do I thank you?"

          Aaron laughed. "You don't have to. I did it because I knew it was right."

          T.K. returned the tickets, still smiling. "Still, though, that just made my whole week." Then T.K. took something from the coffee table. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about this." He handed a thick stack of papers to Aaron. "This is my newest book, and I'm giving it to your mother for Christmas. I need help editing what I have of it. Do you think you can help?"

          "Wait a minute… is it done?" Aaron asked.

          "Not quite. That kinda goes with my present," T.K. answered mysteriously.

          "Oh… okay. Just let me know what I can do to help, and I'll do it."

          "Thank you, Aaron."

-Christmas Eve-

          "It's been more than a day and I can't believe he still doesn't know you're here," Hope said to Kendall.

          The redhead laughed. "Oh well. It just makes the surprise even better." She grinned at Hope and she had to grin back—Kendall's smile was infectious. "Oh, do I have to go hide now? I think it's almost time."

          Hope glanced at the clock. "Yeah, you're right." She cracked open her bedroom door and looked down the hall. "Okay, the coast is clear. Follow me." Together, the two girls dashed silently down the hall and down the stairs, where they were going to hide Kendall until Hope revealed their secret—her Christmas present to Aaron.

          Kendall patiently waited and listened in on the Takaishi family's gift exchange. She, Kristen, their father, and his new girlfriend, Natalie, had done their own exchange before Kendall left for America, but still she was a bit homesick. Kendall brightened at the thought of seeing Aaron again. At least she'd get to spend Christmas with him.

          "Okay, guys, time to open presents!" T.K.'s voice boomed throughout the house. He sat down in front of the glittering tree and started organizing the presents by person.

          "I'm ready and waiting," Hope replied, coming out from around the corner. He knew what she was hiding there, and he smiled at her. "This has got to be the best Christmas ever." 

          "I know what you mean." T.K. got a sad look in his eyes. "But they're going to be leaving soon. This house is going to be so lonely without all of you."

          "Don't think about that, T.K.," a voice advised. Kari came in through the balcony doors and rested her hands on T.K.'s shoulders. "Let's just concentrate on the time we have together and make the best of it, okay?"

          T.K. nodded. "Where's Aaron?" he asked.

          "I don't know. Let me go get him," Hope offered.

          Aaron had heard his father calling him down, but he really wasn't in the mood. He thought that coming to see his parents would make him feel better, but it just made him miss her more. He fingered the small, narrow box he had in his hands, wishing he could have given it to her sooner… but she was gone, and there was no way he could ever give it to her now.

          A soft knock on the door made him look up. "Aaron? It's Hope. Can you please come down? I want to give you your present," a voice pleaded.

          Sighing, Aaron got up. "Okay. Let's go."

          Finally, all the presents had been opened, except for two: Hope's to Aaron and T.K.'s to Kari. Aaron took the last package that was addressed to him, felt it in his hands, and contemplated what it would be. Not too sure about it, he ripped open the paper, and then looked it over. It was a framed picture of himself and Kendall, and he felt a bit saddened. "Hope… thank you… but…"

          "I know it's hard for you, Aaron," Hope sympathized, "but I thought this would remind you of happier times."

          Aaron nodded, holding the picture at arm's length to examine it, see if he could envision it anywhere special in his room. He then thought, "I'll figure it out later," and set it down next to him. When he looked up… _Could it be? He did a double take just to make sure. And sure enough, his eyes were not deceiving him._

          In the place of where the picture had been, Kendall was standing, with a bright smile. Aaron's smile mirrored hers and he rushed over to her, picking her up and twirling her around in the air before setting her down. "What… how… what are you doing here?" he asked in genuine surprise.

          Kendall laughed. "I'm surprised you hadn't noticed me before. Aaron, I've been in your house for two days. Hope picked me up from the airport the day you guys got here."

          Aaron turned to look at Hope. "You sure are good with these surprise things, aren't you?"

          Hope just shrugged. "Kendall, tell him why you're here."

          "Well, for one, I wanted to see you again," Kendall said. "And… I'm going to college here. I've been accepted to UCLA."

          "That is so awesome!" Aaron exclaimed as he and Kendall sat down on the couch. "I'm so glad you're here."

          "I'm glad to be here, too." They sat there for a moment, just looking into each other's eyes, and T.K. nudged Kari. "Hey, let's go outside and give these two some time, huh?"

          Kari nodded, taking her final present—a heavy one—and slipping out to the balcony to open it.

          Kari set her present down and put her hands on the railing, admiring the beautiful sunset on the water. The weather was mild—a bit warm for Christmas, even in California, but there was a touch of winter chill in the air. T.K. came from behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, making Kari smile. "I love it here," she said. "It's almost like… heaven."

          "I love it here, too," T.K. agreed. "But you know what I love even better?"

          "What?" Kari turned to face him.

          "The fact that you're here with me." He pulled her closer to him and enveloped her in a sweet, yet passionate embrace. After their lips parted, T.K. rested his forehead on Kari's and whispered, "Open your present."

          "Okay." She slipped out of his arms and eagerly unwrapped the hefty gift. And then… she blinked.

          "T.K., what is this?" she asked.

          "It's a book, can't you tell?"

          "Yeah…" Kari thumbed through the pages and noticed that towards the end, some were blank. Then she turned to the front and saw the title and the dedication, and she smiled. "What is the book about?"

          "Oh... it's about two people who've been through a lot, and it tells the story from when they first meet to… well… it's not exactly done yet," T.K. admitted. "But I'm hoping you can help me with that."

          "What…" Kari wasn't following what T.K. was saying.

          T.K. took the book from Kari and turned to the inside back cover, where there was a small pocket that Kari hadn't noticed. "Look inside," T.K. urged.

          Kari opened the small flap that kept the pocket secure and felt inside… and gasped. She pulled out a strikingly familiar ring and turned to T.K., her eyes wide.

          "T.K., is this ring the one I think it is?"

          He grinned. "You tell me."

          "It… it looks like my engagement ring."

          T.K. took the book from Kari and set it down on the translucent table next to him. "Yup. I kept it, after all these years when you threw it at me, and it caused a welt in my forehead that didn't go away for months."

          Kari laughed at the memory. "And then I threw the curling iron at you."

          "Yup, that one hurt too." T.K. rubbed the spot where he thought the curling iron had hit him—it was a distant memory—and the couple laughed. Then T.K. took the ring from Kari's hand and knelt down before her. "But Kari… these twelve years have taught me so much. We have two beautiful children, great careers, everything anyone could ever ask for… The last time I had this, I threw it all away, never knowing how important you were to me. I've realized that I can't do it alone; I can't live my life without my Light there to guide me. So I ask you again, after I don't know how many years—"

          "Seventeen," Kari interrupted T.K.'s speech. Knowing what was coming, happy tears had begun to fall down her face, and she tried in vain to wipe them away. "It's been seventeen years—not that I've been counting or anything."

          T.K. smiled, his eyes comforting her and telling her that he really would be there this time, no excuses. "As I was saying, I'm asking you after seventeen—you're sure now?—years, to give me a second chance at this, and let me have a happily ever after. So, Hikari Kamiya, my angel of Light, will you _remarry me?" T.K. looked up expectantly at her._

          She smiled simply and said, "In my heart we've never been separated… but I'll marry you again, just for the heck of it. And yes, I'm sure it's seventeen years."

          T.K. laughed, and put the ring on Kari's finger like he had so many years ago. "Thank you, Kari," he whispered in her ear as they hugged. "I love you."

          "I love you too, T.K.," Kari said back. "You are my only Hope."

          "Um, Kendall… I have something to ask you. Well, it's more like something I have to tell you," Aaron began, nervously, as he took Kendall's hand into his own.

          "What is it?" she asked innocently. Internally, however, her heart was racing.

          "I—" Aaron was interrupted by a distinct "Psst!" and he rolled his eyes. "Excuse me." He went around the corner and sure enough, Hope was standing there. "Hope! What are you doing?" he hissed.

          "Hey, you can't ask her out without giving her this," Hope defended herself, handing the fuzzy, narrow box to her brother. "Good luck. I'll go away now. I promise."

          Aaron tousled Hope's hair and smiled to himself. He resituated himself on the sofa—after hiding the box behind him—and cleared his throat.

          "Anyways, as I was saying, I… I've gotten to know you very well over the course of these few months," Aaron began. "And over time, I've enjoyed your company, and, well… when I found out you were moving back to Japan, I was, um… devastated."

          Kendall nodded, hope shining in her eyes. "Okay…"

          "And… um…" Aaron stammered. Times like these made him flustered, and he hated it. "Now that you're back, I can't pass up this opportunity to tell you this, because I may never get the chance to say it again."

          "What is it?" Kendall prodded gently.

          "I… oh… here." He thrust the box into her hands and she took it with startled surprise. She slowly opened the box and found a pristine silver bracelet, with silver stars that had a small diamond stud in each one, lingering there. "For me?" she asked.

          Aaron nodded. "This… this must have cost a fortune!" Kendall exclaimed.

          "Yeah, but you're worth it," Aaron told her. She looked up and saw the way he was looking at her, and decided she had to tell him too. "Aaron… there's something I have to tell you, too. And I think it may be what you're trying to tell me. So I'll just make it easier for both of us."

          "Okay," Aaron shifted uneasily.

          "I think," Kendall said slowly, trying to ease her own nervousness. "I think I've fallen in love with you."

          Aaron just stared at her for a minute, dumbfounded. "Wait… say that again?"

          Kendall sighed. "You just have to make this hard for me, don't you?" She repeated, "Aaron… I think I'm in love with you."

          This time, he smiled brightly and hugged Kendall. "That's exactly what I was trying to tell you," Aaron admitted. When he pulled away from her, he looked deep into her eyes, and Kendall was amazed at the clarity of those crystal azure eyes that Aaron had acquired from his father. Those two eyes could do wonders to her. "Do me a favor and give me an awesome Christmas present?" he whispered. "Say you'll be my girl, yeah?"

          Even now, Kendall's wit got the best of her. "And what if I say no?"

          The spark in Aaron's eyes momentarily extinguished. "What?"

          "Just kidding." And to prove her point, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

          Hope sighed in contentment, sitting on the stairs—her favorite spot in the whole house. Both her parents and Aaron were happy—it was apparent everywhere. When her parents announced they were engaged (again), Hope jumped so high that she nearly hit the ceiling. Aaron was pretty excited too. Now, after all the presents had been opened, and everything had been cleaned up and put away, Hope remained, staring at the top of their Christmas tree. The ornament was a star, and it had brightly shone throughout the twelve years of her knowing it, but for some reason this year, it shone even brighter. And then Hope realized it. It was something her dad had said to her many times: "Without Hope there is no Light, and without Light there is no Hope." Now that Light and Hope had found each other again, the star was able to give off its maximum intensity of light. Hope smiled and said to herself, "Now they're finally together again." And as she got up and went up the rest of the stairs towards her room, she added, "And this time it's for good."

THE END!!!! aww, it's done. Tell me what you think! But don't worry, the sequel IS up (it's called "One Light, One Hope", if you didn't know), and starts exactly where this leaves off. So don't fret. Hope you liked it! Do me a favor and review! And do me another favor—read my story "Someone to Love: Rachel's Story" 'cause I'm proud of it but original fiction doesn't get too many reviews, haha. So be nice and read that for me, yeah? Anyways… that's all folks! 


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